Royalty Meets Reality
by Rac4hel414
Summary: I didn't want another princess in my life. The last thing I needed was another shallow girl who only cared about popularity. I wished for someone to rescue me. You came along. TxG.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is another story. I'm so sorry things keep getting discontinued. Sorry. Would you like me to delete all of the discontinued ones? This is based off of 'Princess Protection Programme'  
**

**Title: Royalty Meets Reality (I would appreciate other title suggestions, too)**

**Rating: T**

**Summary: Gabriella Montez is the princess of Costa Delta (made up country), a small and independent country. Troy Bolton is a regular small town boy. When Costa Delta is invaded by the Montez's enemy, someone who's been after the crown for years, she is forced to have a brand new identity. Troy hates girls who act like princesses so what will happen when these two worlds collide? Can Gabriella convince Troy that being royalty isn't always a fairytale? And will she get the happy ending she's always dreamed of?**

**Pairings: Troy/Gabriella, Chad/Taylor, Zeke, Sharpay, Jason/Kelsi, Ryan/Martha

* * *

**

Gabriella Montez stood in front of her full length mirror, examining her appearance. She had to admit, she looked rather beautiful. Her long black hair had been tied into a complicated plait and then twisted into a beautiful bun, leaving a few lone curls to frame her face. Her silver tiara was placed delicately on her head. Her face exhibited a little make up. Some grey eye shadow, mascara and eyeliner to highlight her beautiful eyes and some blush to emphasize her accented cheekbones. She lifted her right hand to stroke over her cheek in awe. She couldn't believe it. Every time she saw her reflection she had to remind herself that it was her looking back at her and not some glamorous American movie star.

But, it wasn't. It was Gabriella Montez. She was the daughter of Greg and Gina Montez, King and Queen of Costa Delta. That's right: Gabriella Montez is a princess. But, not for long. Soon, in two months, she will be queen. But, if she was honest, she didn't want to be queen. At seventeen years old, she wanted what every other seventeen year old wanted: to have some freedom and healthy parents. She'd give everything if it meant her father wouldn't die. That was the whole reason she was being crowned before her eighteenth birthday. Greg was dying.

She shook her head to herself, forcing those thoughts away. Her eyes moved to her reflection's neck where a gold chain was holding a medium sized heart shaped locket. She'd been given that locket on her thirteenth birthday and had worn it everyday since. Her dress was gorgeous. She glanced in the mirror and saw her personal dress designer, Ricardo, was beside himself with pride. She giggled to herself as she praised his creation. It was a pale lilac, contrasting beautifully with her tanned skin tone. The sleeves were off her shoulders, showing off her slender neck. It was tight fitted until it reached her waist where her flared out to her feet, looking like something out of the fairytales Greg had read to her as a little girl. White silk gloves were on her dainty hands, reaching her elbows.

"Ricardo, you are a genius," she gushed.

He smiled from his position at the doorway. "I'm glad you like it, Your Royal Highness."

She took a deep breath and smoothed her hands over her dress. She was nervous and this was only the rehearsal for crying out loud. She didn't want to be queen. Not yet. Not for the reasons her coronation was coming faster than she'd like. She wanted to go to college and study prelaw before she was crowned queen. And she definitely didn't want to be queen because her father's dying. She wanted to be crowned queen because she felt ready to be in charge of her country, no matter how small it was.

Costa Delta is a small island in the Mediterranean Sea near Spain. It's very independent and is often seen as insignificant. However, Costa Delta held onto its pride and fought in many wars, fighting for peace in the small country. Their military wasn't big, in fact it was one of the smallest militaries in the world, but it was probably one of the proudest. They fought, not only for peace but, for some recognition. Gabriella found it somewhat disgusting at how many children in the world grew up without knowing of Costa Delta's existence. She didn't want her country to be famous, exactly. She didn't want it crowded with tourists, exactly; she'd just like people to understand why she loved it so much.

The door to her dressing chamber suddenly opened and her eyes sought the doorway in the mirror. Greg walked through, dressed in a smart suit with medals lining his right breast pocket. His grey hair had thinned terribly since the symptoms had been confirmed eighteen months ago and he looked much older than his actual fifty two years. He walked with a slight limp these days and it broke Gabriella's heart whenever she compared his current appearance to that in old photographs.

"Daddy," she greeted and picked the skirt of her dress up, so she wouldn't trip, and rushed over to him. She hugged him tightly to her body, feeling how weak and fragile he'd become. She held her tears back and pulled back to look up at him. "You look so handsome," she mumbled and straightened his blazer out.

Ricardo brought a chair over and held one of Greg's arms to help him sit down. "There you go, Your Majesty."

Greg nodded gratefully. "Thank you so much, Ricardo. I must say that you did a remarkable job with my daughter's dress. She looks just like a," he paused to swallow and he looked up at Gabriella. She looked into her father's eyes as he spoke the last word and understood that he didn't want her coronation to happen, just like she didn't. He whispered, "queen."

"I am extremely pleased that you both like it and I hope that Her Majesty Queen will like it, too," Ricardo said sincerely.

Greg nodded. "I'm sure she will. Please may I have a moment alone with Gabriella?"

Ricardo nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty." He bowed to Ricardo and then turned to Gabriella. "Your Highness." He bowed to the young woman and smiled sympathetically at her.

"Thank you, Ricardo," Gabriella said softly as he left the room and shut the door behind him. Gabriella crouched down next to Greg's chair and held his hand in hers. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, mi hija. I love you so, so much. You are my world. You don't want the coronation to happen, do you?" he asked, brushing his free hand over her cheek.

She nodded fervently. "Of course I do. It's what I've grown up to do and I want to rule Costa Delta and make you proud of me."

"I am ever so proud of you. Everything you've accomplished in your life has made me the proudest father in the world. But, tell me the truth: do you want this?" he asked quietly.

Gabriella took a deep breath as she looked into her father's eyes. "I don't want the coronation to happen the obvious reason its happening."

"Mi hija, Ella," he said softly, "I love you with all of my heart, all of my soul and everything that makes me who I am. I could not have asked for a more perfect daughter than you. I know that you will be a fantastic queen, I know that. And, Ella, I want you to know that I'll always be here, every step of the way. Your mother is beside you and she has faith in you just like I do."

Despite her best efforts, a tear leaked from her left eyes. "Daddy, you are my angel and I love you," she whispered.

Greg opened his arms, welcoming his daughter into a tight hug. "I love you," he whispered. He pulled back and pressed his lips to her forehead. "So you'd better wipe your cheeks," he offered.

Gabriella looked over to the mirror and her eyes widened. "Oh, my," she gasped as she hurried to find her handkerchief which was folded neatly on the dresser. She rushed back to the mirror and dabbed lightly at the corners of her eyes.

"You look beautiful," Greg commented as he watched his only child ensure her appearance was utter perfection. "Just like your mother on her coronation."

Gabriella laughed softly as she folded the handkerchief and placed it neatly back on the dresser. She turned to her father and held her head high. "She was crowned queen because of marriage," she said shortly. "I'm being crowned queen of Costa Delta because I'm blood. And I'm proud to have your blood. I'm ready. I don't know if Costa Delta is ready for a clumsy queen like me, but I'm ready to be queen."

Greg smiled proudly and nodded. "They'll have to be because I am. Don't blame me for your clumsiness. You got all of your mother's genes."

The young woman giggled and nodded. "Well, I just hope I get through this thing without tripping. I'm not wearing heels, so I can't break my ankle like I did at my thirteenth birthday celebration. I just don't want to trip over this beautiful dress."

"You'll be fine, I promise," Greg said softly.

There was a rhythmic knock on the doors of her dressing chambers and the father and daughter both turned at the sound. "Come in," Greg ordered politely.

The door opened and in stepped Clarisse, the organiser of Gabriella's coronation for all intents and purposes. "Gabriella, we're ready for you."

Gabriella turned to Greg and nodded. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered before she followed Clarisse out of the room.

* * *

Troy Bolton sat at the breakfast table on Monday morning, slowly dozing back to sleep. His left hand was propping his head up and his right was slowly moving his spoon full of cereal to his mouth. He wanted sleep. Why couldn't school start at ten instead of half past eight? And it took ten minutes to get there, meaning he had to leave at approximately quarter past eight to ensure he wasn't late. He hated mornings, has done and always will. No matter what his mother, Lucille, tried, he would still be grumpy until second period where he'd finally wake up enough to talk to his friends without snapping at them. His friends and teachers had given up talking to him on a morning years ago because there's no point, you never get results.

He honestly didn't want to go to school. Not only was it Monday – why, oh why, did God create Mondays? – he had drama first period with his crazy homeroom teacher, Ms Darbus. He'd hated Mondays ever since the start of his senior year when he'd received his schedule and realised that every Monday of his senior year would be torture. He'd tried to convince his father, Jack and the basketball coach at East High, to change his schedule a little but…nothing. He still had drama and it was ridiculous.

It was because of his lack of attention on mornings that got him several detentions from Ms Darbus. Jack had confronted the drama teacher about it but she wouldn't ease up, claiming that 'Troy shouldn't get special treatment because his father works at the school' so he got a detention practically every Monday morning.

He pushed the bowl away and dropped his head onto the island counter. Maybe he had some sort of disorder or allergy that made him super grumpy. Lucille had concluded that it had to be the Bolton genes simply because Jack, Troy and her youngest son, Connor, were all the same. However, she loved mornings so it made sense that it was Bolton genes, rather than hers. She loved her husband and sons with all of her heart but she'd like a bit more conversation on a morning.

Troy lifted his head and squinted at the clock hanging on the wall. He had approximately five minutes before he had to leave. When he got to school at twenty five past eight, he'd go to his locker, find his drama books and put his bag in there before he'd head to his homeroom where he'd meet his friends.

Ah, his friends. His friends were eight people he couldn't live without. It'd start off just him and Kelsi Nielson. Her mother was Lucille's best friend and their fathers were good friends, too and so they'd been destined to be friends from the beginning. When they'd started kindergarten together, they'd met Chad Danforth and Taylor McKessie and the four had been friends ever since. When they started elementary school, they met Zeke Baylor. They met a set of twins, Sharpay and Ryan, during middle school. And finally they met Jason Cross and Martha Cox in high school. They'd stuck by each other through everything despite their differences. They were a mix of 'stereotypes': Troy, Chad, Zeke and Jason were all on the basketball team, Taylor and Martha were on the scholastic decathlon team, Kelsi, Sharpay and Ryan were all in the drama club. Kelsi composed the shows and Sharpay and Ryan starred in them.

Most of the 'gang' had started dating one another. Something that surprised everyone was when the usual shy and timorous Kelsi boldly walked up to Jason and asked him to the Christmas ball of their freshman year. By the end of the ball, they were the first official couple within the gang. Ryan and Martha followed their lead by getting together roughly six months later. In their sophomore year, Chad finally plucked up enough courage to ask Taylor out. That had rocked the boat at East High when the smartest girl in their grade accepted and had begun dating the basketball boy. It wasn't until their junior year – all of the other couples going strong – when Zeke baked a batch of cookies iced with pink frosting for Sharpay and asked her to their junior prom. Everyone else had seen it coming and had been surprised that the boisterous Sharpay had waited so long.

Troy counted himself very lucky. In the stereotypical high school, he thought it would be unlikely that his best friend would be the school's composer. He put it down to the fact that he, along with his friends, had grown up in Albuquerque in New Mexico. It's just a small town with small town people. The rest of the school, however, just saw him as Troy Bolton the basketball boy. They expected him to lead the Wildcats to victory in basketball games. He'd been the first sophomore ever to make it to the varsity basketball team and then, in junior year, he was voted captain. He gained instant popularity the moment he was on the varsity team. He found it quite annoying sometimes; how some girls would pretend to be something their not and act like princesses just to have a shot of being with him. Why couldn't girls just act…normal?

His thoughts moved onto his house. Despite the fact that Jack was simply a coach at East High and Lucille was a cook at a local café, his family was surprisingly well off as far as money is concerned. It also helped that Jack was part of the secret service. After Jack's parents had both passed away, and with him being an only child, all of the family money had been left to him. However, Troy lived in a regular sized house. It wasn't enormous or extravagant. It had three bedrooms: the master bedroom for Jack and Lucille, one for Troy and one for Connor. It had an extra one in the attic but it was hardly ever used. The house, despite its small size, was situated on a rather large piece of land. They had a beautiful garden out in the front with a range of colourful flowers and plants. Their back yard was much larger, though. A basketball court took up a small portion of it. Other than that, it was like the front yard except it continued onto the shore of a small lake.

"I know you hate mornings, sweetheart, but you need to go," Lucille commented as she walked into the kitchen with a basket of laundry.

Troy jumped and turned to his mother. She was dressed in a pair of smart grey pants and white blouse. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and it swished over her shoulder as she turned sharply to face him. He sighed and stood up from the stool. He grabbed his cereal bowl and took it over to the sink. "I suppose," he mumbled. He kissed her cheek. "Love you."

She smiled softly, brushing his hair from his bright blue eyes and then set the laundry basket down. "Have a good day."

He nodded and bent down to pick his backpack up. "I'll try if you give me permission to kill Ms Darbus."

Lucille laughed dryly. "No. You're going to college soon and I'd prefer it if you don't have a police record."

Jack walked in, looking much more awake than Troy. He was pulling on a grey blazer over his out-of-character suit with a cell phone held against his ear. Jack was a man of comfort, only ever wearing a suit for fancy dinners or when he was sent on a secret mission for the secret service. "Of course, I'll be there."

Troy sighed as he pulled his backpack onto his shoulder. "Dad, are you coming to school or not?"

Jack held one finger up until he snapped his cell phone shut and dropped it into his blazer pocket. He straightened his clothes out and looked apologetically at his wife and oldest son. "I am so sorry, son. I have to go."

Troy looked a little down heartened. Their usual basketball practice during free period was never the same if it wasn't Jack coaching them. "Oh, okay," he whispered.

"I'll be back by tonight, I promise," Jack said sincerely.

Troy forced a smile and nodded as they hugged each other. "We'll be practice tonight before dinner, okay?"

Troy suddenly brightened at the idea, feeling more awake. They pulled apart and grinned at each other. "Yeah. That's cool. I'd like that."

Jack moved over to his wife and kissed her quickly. "I'll see you all tonight, I promise. Where's Connor?"

"Right here," a tired voice mumbled.

They all turned to see the ten year old boy stood in the doorway in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt with a rocket on. He was rubbing his blue eyes tiredly and his dirty blonde hair needed a serious brush. Jack approached him and crouched down to hug him. "Daddy has to go away but I'll be back tonight, okay, buddy?"

Connor nodded as he pulled back. "Okay."

Jack stood up and frowned. "You know, honey," he began as he turned to Lucille, "I remember when he used to cry when I left."

Troy laughed and slapped his father's back. "Remember when I turned ten and thought crying was uncool? Yeah, you've got to go through that again."

Lucille laughed softly and walked over to kiss Jack one last time. "Call me to let me know you're safe, okay?"

Jack nodded. "Of course, Luce."

Troy smiled slightly at Jack. "Be careful, okay? I can't lose one of my best friends."

Jack grinned as he took part in a complicated handshake with Troy. "See you all tonight."

* * *

"And you'll walk through these doors," Clarisse told Gabriella as they both stepped through a set of double doors.

Gabriella nodded with acceptance. "Okay. Where will Mama and Daddy be?" she asked, looking at the older woman.

Clarisse gestured to their right where two extravagant chairs were placed. "Right there. Is that okay with you, Your Highness?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah. It is. You know, I'm really excited about this."

"I'm glad," Clarisse said sincerely. "Everyone is going to be here for you, okay? There's no reason to be nervous." She gestured to their left. "The priest will come to you and start the ceremony. Then, you'll walk down the aisle and greet your country. You'll ride around the city and continue the celebration here at the castle. So, you don't have to walk all that much."

Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief and giggled. "Thank you."

One of the men who was tying ribbons around the chairs for the congregation suddenly walked to the centre of the aisle and looked directly at Gabriella. He drew his sword and grinned menacingly at the queen-to-be. "Costa Delta is mine. It's supposed to have been in my family but you stole it from us!"

"Gerald?" Gabriella asked. "We've been over this," she sighed. "My family has the right to the crown. Nothing will ever happen between us."

"Maybe this will change your mind," he growled. Just then, two other men brought in Gabriella's parents.

Gabriella gasped. "Mama! Daddy!"

"It's simple," Gerald hissed, "Marry me and give me the crown or you'll never see your parents again."

A man suddenly landed in front of Gabriella. He bowed at her. "Your Highness, Major Bolton at your service." He grabbed her arm. "We have to hurry!" He exclaimed as he pulled her out of the room.

Being much weaker than the major, she allowed him to lead her out of the castle. "Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

The major ushered her into a car and shut the door for her. He rushed around to the driver's side and climbed in. He began speaking with an American accent, "I'm taking you somewhere where you're safe." He reached blindly into the inside pocket of his blazer as he drove. He produced a card and handed it to her. "Major Jack Bolton, part of the Princess Protection Programme. From Albuquerque, New Mexico, America. I'm going to make sure you're safe, I promise."

Gabriella inspected the form of ID. The picture was definitely of him and everything he stated was on there, too. "Okay…Jack?" she said unsurely.

He chuckled to himself. "You're the princess and you're nervous around me?"

She blushed and sighed. "But, Jack, I don't want to be saved. My parents are in danger!"

"Don't worry," he said calmly, "we're keeping communications up with Ricardo and Clarisse. They're going to keep us informed of Gerald's intensions. If your parents are in any serious danger, we'll intervene. You'll not come back here until I say so."

"You can't tell me what to do!" she exclaimed, her vision going blurry with tears.

Jack braked to let some pedestrians cross the road. "If you want to go back there, fine. I'm just doing my job. Go on. Go."

Gabriella handed his ID back and sighed. "Do you promise that my parents won't be hurt under any circumstances?"

He looked across at her and took his hat off, throwing it over his shoulder into the backseat. "I promise."

She looked about to protest again but relaxed into the passenger seat. "Okay," she breathed. "I won't come back until you say I can. But, if you hear anything about my country, anything at all, I order to tell me as soon as possible."

Jack turned back to the road and continued driving. "As you wish, Your Highness."

Gabriella watched her country pass by and soon she was asleep, dreaming of her country without Gerald. A few hours later, she felt someone nudging her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and she twisted in her seat to see Jack looking at her worriedly. "Jack?" she yawned. "Where are we?"

"We're at the base. Are you ready?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she said honestly. "I suppose I have to be."

Jack climbed out of the car and hurried around the passenger side. He pulled her door open and held his hand out for her. He helped her out of the car and quickly locked it. He turned to her and saw her looking around the underground parking lot. "I promise it's nicer inside."

She hitched her skirt up and followed him over to metal elevator doors. "Why do you care about me so much?" she demanded.

Jack pushed the up arrow and the buttons slid away to reveal a number pad. He typed in a five digit number and turned to her as the doors slid open. He gestured inside and sighed when she wouldn't budge. "Okay, listen to me. I'm married to a woman named Lucille. I love Lucille with all of my heart. I grew up Albuquerque and that's where I've lived ever since. Three years after we were married, I applied to take part in the Princess Protection Programme."

"Princess what?" she exclaimed.

"My wife wasn't entirely pleased but she supported me. A year later, she gave birth to our first son, Troy. Seven years later, we had another son, Connor. My point is: I'm just a regular small town man. But, I know what it's like to have children. I know what it's like to want to protect them at all costs." He paused to take a deep breath. "The Princess Protection Programme was set up twenty years ago in order to ensure that every Princess in the world will always be there. You've never seen us and if your coronation goes ahead, you'll never see us again. But, we've always been there, helping with decorations, being security, just to ensure you're safe. Now, Your Highness, it's time for stage four," he said calmly and once again gestured to the elevator.

She reluctantly stepped inside and turned to Jack as he followed and closed the door. "What's stage four?" she cried.

Jack pushed the button for the fifth four and another panel appeared. He punched in a different five digit number and the doors slid shut. He turned to her and smiled softly. "Stage four is the transformation."

"What are the other three stages?" she asked. "Jack, you have to understand that I am a princess, heir to the throne of Costa Delta. I will be queen no matter what happens in the present. If my mother and father have taught me anything, it's to understand everything possible when it concerns me or my country. At this moment, it concerns both."

Jack nodded with understanding. "I've worked for this agency for nearly nineteen years, I've heard it from every other princess I've saved. The first stage was the actual rescue. The second stage was the journey here. The third stage is the explanation about me and this programme. The fourth stage, as I said, is transformation."

"Transformation?" she asked slowly. "What gets transformed?"

"You do," he said quietly as the doors slid open. "If you will, Your Highness."

Gabriella looked him over, finally deciding that he was trying his best to help. She stepped outside and immediately looked behind her to make sure he was following. "Okay, so I'm guessing I go through some change in my appearance, is that correct?"

"Yes," he replied as he led her through a complex looking lobby. There were various computers and people sitting at them and a computerised map taking up the far wall. There were little red dots flashing and she could see one on Costa Delta. Jack pulled out a hand held device and flipped it open. He pushed a couple of buttons and the dot on Costa Delta disappeared. "You're safe," he said quietly.

She looked up at him and nodded. "Okay."

He raised his hand and waved over a woman in her mid thirties. Her blonde hair was cut into a smart bob and Gabriella could see some sort of communication device hooked onto the waist of her dress pants. "This is Ania. She will help you."

"Where are you going?" Gabriella exclaimed.

"I need to change. I can't go home dressed as a major," he said quietly. "If not for any other reason than my oldest son would laugh at me. I will not be long and Ania will take excellent care of you." He touched Gabriella's arm, smiled and then disappeared.

Gabriella turned to Ania. "What are you going to do?"

Ania began leading her to the other side of the room and up some steps. There was a screen in one corner for someone to change behind and a rack of clothes next to it. Against the wall in front of them, there was a dresser with a range of make up product, some hair straighteners, a curling iron and a hair dryer. "We're going to change your hair and give you some clothes so that no one will recognise you." She spoke with the hint of a Polish accent.

"I want people to recognise me," Gabriella said curtly. "I want everyone to know what that…person is doing to my parents and my country."

Ania sighed. "Gabriella, Your Highness, please cooperate. We are doing this for your wellbeing. I assume Jack has assured you that he will keep you informed?"

Gabriella nodded and folded her arms. "Yes."

"All you have to do is trust us," she said softly.

"I trust Jack," Gabriella said softly. "If Jack's here, I'll reconsider."

Jack appeared a couple of moments later in his suit pants and his white shirt with the first couple of buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. "You okay?"

"Do I really have to change who I am?" she asked slowly.

Jack placed a hand on her back and guided her over to the rack of clothing. "I'm afraid so. It's just to ensure that they won't find you and put you in even more danger."

Ania sifted through the rack of clothing and pulled out a pair of blue skinny jeans, a floral blouse and a light blue jacket. "Gabriella, will you change into this now that Jack's here?"

Gabriella stared at Jack before she nodded slowly. "I guess so."

She took the clothes from Ania and was about to step behind the screen when Jack stopped her. He took the tiara from her head. "You don't need this anymore."

"You can't take that," she cried indignantly.

"Gabriella," he said sternly, "it'll be in the safe. No one will touch it and it won't be taken from there until you're back safely in Costa Delta, I promise you."

She sighed and nodded. "Okay." She turned her back to Ania and gestured to the zip. "Do you think you could do the zipper?"

"Would you like some help?" Ania asked quietly.

Gabriella turned and smiled gratefully. "Yes please."

They both disappeared behind the screen and returned a minute later with Gabriella dressed in the outfit Ania had picked out. "What do you think, Jack?" Ania asked, one hand resting on Gabriella's shoulder.

Jack smiled and nodded his approval. "You look great. I took your tiara to the safe myself. No one else will touch it."

Gabriella nodded and tugged uncomfortably on the jeans. "So, what's next?"

"Your hair," Jack said simply and gestured to the vanity stool.

"My hair?" she gasped as she sat down and Ania stood behind her. "My hair has never been cut before!"

"It'll be fine," Jack said softly.

Ania began working to get Gabriella's soft hair out of the complicated bun and let her hair fall free to her waist. She combed through it, allowing any knots to untangle. "Your hair is so beautiful," Ania whispered as she picked up some scissors from the dresser. "Don't worry, it'll grow back."

Gabriella sighed and nodded. "Fine."

Ania began cutting her hair until it was maybe half the length it was originally, landing just beneath her shoulder blades. She cut different layers into her hair which looked remarkably beautiful as she had natural curls. Ania placed the comb and scissor back on the dresser and looked through the mirror to look at Gabriella as she brought some curls around to frame her face. "What do you think?"

"It looks nice," she whispered, reaching up to touch her hair.

"Gabriella," Jack started somewhat nervously. He waited until she had turned around on the stool before he continued, "You can't be Gabriella Montez anymore, at least for the time being."

"Well, who will I be?" she demanded.

Ania rested a hand on her shoulder. "You are now Gabby Hudgens, an average American girl."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter. I'm really liking this story already :) I cried a little towards the end, though. I hope you like it**

**Don't own HSM x

* * *

**

Troy slammed the door of his truck and kicked the wheel. "Damn it!" he exclaimed. His day had been horrible. First of all, of course, he had detention. That meant that his team were alone. Neither he nor Jack had been there to coach them and so they'd had to drill themselves. Luckily, Chad, who was co-captain, had told Troy during study hall that they'd done suicides, layups and a practice game. They hadn't run through strategies or game plans or anything like that. They'd wanted to wait for Coach Bolton and Troy to be there before they discussed such things.

Secondly, someone had walked into him at lunch time in the cafeteria and he'd had to go all day with chilli all over his favourite shirt. Needless to say, he had started to smell of chilli, no matter how much cologne he sprayed on himself in the bathroom. People had started to steer clear of him…except Chad. Chad had, for some weird reason, gained an obsession over him and had started walking up to Troy and sniffing his shirt. At least it managed to get the girls off of a little bit but not completely.

Thirdly, he'd failed the pop quiz in math. He'd been in such a grumpy mood that he hadn't been able to concentrate. He knew what would happen: Lucille would ground him. It wasn't his fault that he'd inherited Jack's dislike for maths. What was the point in trigonometry anyway? He didn't want to be an architect so when will he need it in the future? He knew Jack wouldn't be impressed either because he needed at least a C in every subject to stay on the basketball team. His parents would suggest a tutor and then he'd call Taylor or Martha to help him instead.

Lastly, his father had gone on _another_ secret mission. He loved Jack immensely so far as he was one of Troy's best friends. But, he was tired of Jack just dropping everything to go and save some princess. He wanted his dad to be there all of the time, whenever Troy needed someone to talk to or to shoot some hoops with.

He locked his truck leaned against it. He wasn't usually one to complain but, he couldn't help it. It was probably the worst day ever. He wanted to walk into his house, have a shower and then play his guitar. He knew his mother would, inevitably, find out about his failed pop quiz because she had this scary ability to know everything that happened in Troy's life. If she didn't find out that way, he had to get her to sign some sort of form to reassure his teacher that his parents knew about his grades.

But, he knew he wouldn't. To save his butt from being fried alive by Lucille, he had to tell her as soon as possible. He'd still get grounded for the week but it wouldn't stretch to two weeks which had happened once before when he'd hid it from her. She had found out because Jack had found out from the school. That had been back in his freshman year and he was never making that mistake again.

Something caught his eye. Something that was shiny and black and something that he would never afford with his allowance. His father's black Dodge Crossfire – the car he used for his missions – was parked in front of his truck. Jack was back! That meant that the mission was over and he wouldn't leave again for at least another two weeks. Jack had told his family, even little Connor, that it was company policy to let the agents have a two week gap between missions. This suited Troy down to the ground because it meant he could look forward to a fortnight – maybe more – of not worrying that Jack would disappear.

Troy suddenly smiled and rushed into his house. He slammed the door shut and threw his backpack carelessly onto the couch before he headed through to the back yard. At four o'clock in the afternoon, he wasn't surprised to find Connor dribbling a basketball up and down the basketball court. What he was surprised to find was Jack dressed in his suit from this morning. However, his shirt was unbuttoned slightly and the sleeves rolled up and the shiny black smart shoes that he had worn in the morning had been replaced by a pair or tatty sneakers.

"I didn't expect you back so early," Troy commented as he ran up behind Connor and picked him up so he could drop the basketball through the basketball hoop. As soon as the ball left his brother's hands, Troy had him thrown over his shoulder and was spinning around.

Connor giggled, thumping his older brother's back. "Troy!"

Troy stopped spinning and bent down to set Connor on the floor. "You're no fun," Troy whined. "How are you, squirt?"

The ten year old boy grinned. "Good. Daddy picked me up from school. He told me that he'd already been home and greeted Mommy. Now you have to meet Gabi."

Jack sighed and shook his head. "Connor, go and get some soda inside, okay? Go." He watched his youngest son disappear and then turned to Troy. "Ignore him, you'll know what he's talking about later. How are you? Why do I smell chilli?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Bad day at school. Speaking of which," he said slowly as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Jack.

Jack frowned and unfolded it, quickly scanning the words. "You know your mother's going to skin you alive because of this, right?"

"It's not as bad as not telling you guys. _That _was scary." He shuddered. "Anyway, how was your mission?"

"It was over faster than I thought it was going to be. She's a very nice girl and, although she likes to know everything that's happening, it's in her nature. I liked her. I've dealt with worse ones, put it like that," he chuckled.

Troy took the piece of paper from his father and sighed. "I'd better tell Mom. Where is she?"

"Utility room, I think," Jack said thoughtfully.

Troy nodded thankfully and hugged Jack. "Thanks Dad. I'm glad you're back. I'll see you later, okay?" He pulled back and grinned before he dashed into the house. He rushed downstairs to the utility room and found Lucille piling dirty clothes into the washer. "Mom," he started slowly as he looked down at the piece of paper.

"Yes, sweetheart?" she asked as she added some powder to the clothes.

"Um, can you sign this for me? Oh, can I put my shirt in there? I've got chilli on my shirt." He sniffed at his shirt and pulled a disgusted face.

"Sure, honey." She turned to her son and took the piece of paper from him as he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it into the washer. "You failed your math pop quiz?"

Troy shrugged uncomfortably. "I was having a bad day."

Lucille sighed and shook her head as she shut the washer and set it off. "Troy, you're ever so smart and you can do it." She turned to him and looked into the eyes that were one of the reasons she fell in love with her husband. "But, if I have a bad, does that mean its okay for me to give someone an overcooked meal?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to fail. But, Darbus gave me detention so I missed practice and Dad was away and…I'm so sorry. I'll get Tay to tutor me again, I promise. I'm grounded for one week, aren't I?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

Lucille kissed his forehead. "One week."

"Alright. I love you, Mom," he whispered.

"I'll sign this and you can take it back tomorrow," she said.

"Thank you. I think I'm going to take a shower. Call me down for dinner." He grinned before he leapt back up the stairs.

"Troy, you can't!" she exclaimed. But Troy didn't hear her.

Troy continued up the stairs to the ground floor and then went up the stairs to the upper floor. He began unbuckling his belt and slipped his sneakers off outside of his bedroom. He walked over to the hall closet and pulled out a towel. He made his way to the bathroom and pushed the door open. "Whoa," he mumbled as his eyes landed on the bathtub. Soapsuds covered most of her body except her tanned feet and her head but she was fucking beautiful. Her black hair was tied up into a messy bun and her chocolate eyes were wide with surprise. Her cheekbones were high and her skin tone was tanned.

"Who're you?" she asked softly.

"Uh," Troy started as he threw his towel to the side and buckled his belt back up, "I'm Troy Bolton. What about you? Who are you and what are you doing in the bathroom of my house?"

"I'm Gabri…Gabi. I'm Gabi," she whispered, turning to stare at the white bubbles that surrounded her.

"Are you sure?" Troy asked. "You don't seem sure."

Gabriella looked up at him. "I'm sure," she said shortly.

"Okay," Troy said slowly. "Care to tell me what you're doing here?"

She sighed and shrugged. "Jack brought me here."

"My dad?" he asked quietly.

She shrugged and nodded. "I guess so. He talked about a son called Troy a lot."

Troy swallowed. "You're a princess," he said finally. "Excuse me," he said quietly.

"Yes," she started, "you are excused."

Troy rolled his eyes and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He sprinted back down the stairs, his mind going into overdrive. A princess? A fucking princess? What was Jack thinking? The last thing he needed was an _actual_ princess strutting around Albuquerque like she was anything better than the other girls at East High. All of the girls at East High who didn't know him wore expensive clothes and jewellery just because they thought he has high expectations.

But, this _Gabi_ was probably worse. She probably expected him to wait on her hand and foot. But, he won't because his parents raised him to be independent. And, damn it, she wasn't going to expect _him_ to run around for her. She would realise, the sooner, the better, that people in the Bolton family do things for themselves. If some dishes need washing, you wash them and don't ask anyone else to. If some clothes need pressing with an iron, you do it – and not burn any – and don't ask anyone else to do it. Of course, Connor had an advantage because he wasn't old enough to use an iron or oven. Troy wasn't willing to say they never helped each other because they did. They helped each other a lot. But, they never took anything for granted and always thanked each other.

"Dad!" Troy yelled as he walked through to the kitchen where he found his parents sitting at the island counter, sipping cups of coffee together. He heard the TV playing and assumed Connor was watching it. He stood on the opposite side of the counter to Jack and Lucille and slammed his fists onto the granite surface. Although he was shirtless, he wasn't fazed. He was concentrating on the matter at hand: Princess Gabi. "A princess," he hissed. "Why is she here?"

Jack set his coffee cup down. "Son, it's just temporary until it's safe for her to return to her country. I've told you: she's an extremely pleasant girl. She gets on really with Connor and do you think I'm brave enough to let her stay here if your mom didn't like her?"

"That's not the point!" Troy cried. "Do you know how girls act around me at school? They act like princesses, wanting me to take them to prom and they expect everyone else to drop everything and do something for them because they're concentrating on practically seducing me."

Lucille laughed softly. "Look who's being dramatic."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Why couldn't she have gone to…Wisconsin?"

"Wisconsin?" Jack asked slowly. "Son, you have no idea how complicated this service is. It was much safer to bring her here."

"But…What makes her so different from the other ones you've rescued?" Troy asked quietly.

"She's seventeen, Troy. She's seventeen years old and never once stepped foot into a public high school in her country or otherwise. She was going to be crowned queen, Troy. Queen at the age of seventeen. That's why I wanted to bring her here. I wanted to see her experience high school, okay? I wanted to make sure she enjoyed it before she has to run an entire country. That's why," Jack said steadily. "Troy, there is a difference between the girls at school and a real princess, I promise you."

Troy sat down on one of the stools and took a deep breath. "How long will she be here?"

"I don't know," Jack whispered. "I'm going to enrol her at East High in the morning and I expect you to help her, okay?"

"Sure," Troy mumbled. "So, does Connor know?"

"Please," Lucille exclaimed, "do you think we'd tell him something as serious as the girl he thinks is our goddaughter turns out to be a princess? We told him not tot tell you about her and what does he do? Tells you. He can't find out, okay?"

"So you're going to lie to him?" he asked.

"Troy, he's ten years old. He doesn't know my job like you do. He's ten years old. He only knows that sometimes I have to leave for a little while. Please cooperate?" Jack asked.

He relented with a sigh. "Okay. But, not for her. For you. I'm still not happy about this. I walked in on her in the bath for crying out loud. You could've told me before I completely embarrassed myself in front of a princess!"

"I tried to tell you when you said you were going for a shower but you'd already left," Lucille explained.

"Fine. I'll help Gabi at school but if she asks me to do one single thing, I won't. It's as simple as that," Troy warned, pointing a finger at his parents.

Jack nodded. "Deal. But, to be honest, I doubt that will happen."

"Um," a timid voice started, making the three adults turn to find Gabriella standing in the doorway. Her damp hair was still in the messy bun from when Troy had seen her and she had pulled on her jeans and blouse from earlier. She was carrying two damp towels and she sighed. "Lucy, can you tell me where the washer is?"

Lucille gave Troy that typical _I told you we were right_ look and then set her coffee down. She slid off of the island chair and wrapped an arm around Gabriella's shoulders. "It's just down here." She led Gabriella down the stairs to the utility room and then unwrapped her arm from her shoulders. "That's the washer," she said as she pointed to the appliance, "and that's the dryer. You'll never see my husband or sons down here unless they want something from you. They'll never be in the kitchen while I'm cooking because they'll ruin the whole thing."

"The meal?" Gabriella asked.

"My kitchen. I leave Jack and Troy to fend for themselves for one hour and I was not happy. The good news was that Jack was all too happy to buy me a new kitchen." Lucille laughed. "The washer's going at the moment so you can just put your towels in that basket."

Gabriella dropped the towels into the hamper and turned back to the older woman. "Can I ask you something?"

Lucille nodded. "Of course."

"Troy doesn't like me, does he? I'm not stupid. I just don't want to interfere too much with your lives. I don't even want to be here," she muttered.

"Troy's hard to convince in the circumstances. He's grown up with girls throwing themselves at him because he's the basketball captain. They act the opposite of what they are and it annoys him. He hasn't had a girlfriend in two years because he can't trust them. And the thought of having…you in the house is kind of making him weary. It's not your fault. Jack and I know you're not like that and Connor adores you. But, Troy's so used to having girls act like 'princesses' to try to get him to ask them out. It's nothing personal," Lucille explained, brushing her fingers through Gabriella's damp bangs.

"Would you like some help with dinner?" she asked quietly.

Lucille smiled softly, knowing how hard Gabriella was trying to adjust to her new life. "I'd like that."

Lucille and Gabriella headed back up to the kitchen and began preparing dinner together. Jack had moved into the lounge to watch TV with Connor and Troy had gone upstairs to have his shower. Lucille was impressed with Gabriella's cooking skills. She wasn't impressed because of her status, but because she hadn't met many seventeen year old girls who could find their way around a kitchen like Gabriella could. She was confident and precise and, although it was just a simple meal of chicken and baked potatoes, Lucille was positive it would be delicious.

She loved Troy and Connor with all of her heart but she had always dreamt of having a daughter that she could share things with. Gabriella was a really sweet, charming girl that spoke endlessly about Costa Delta and the traditions and the lifestyle. She spoke with so much passion, she found it endearing that one small, young girl loved her country so much. It was kind of refreshing. With her growing up in on of the biggest countries in the world, it was extremely rare to find someone regarding their country as the most magnificent place in the world. Gabriella admitted that Costa Delta was far from perfect but she knew that, even when she was queen, it would never be free from crime and imperfections.

Gabriella bent down and took the tray of chicken pieces from oven and then bent down to take the tray of baked potatoes out. "I want to thank you again," she said softly as she began placing a potato on each of the five plates. She set the tongs down and took two of the plates over to place at the island.

Lucille walked over to the island, balancing the last three plates on her arms. She set them down in the final three places for Troy, Connor and Gabriella. "It's a pleasure to have you. You're than welcome here even when you go back to Costa Delta, okay?"

"I think after this, I'll have to visit America more often," she said with a soft smile as she wandered back over to the tray of chicken. She picked up the tongs and began placing the pieces of chicken onto a spare place so that everyone could help themselves as to how much chicken they wanted. She took the plate of chicken over to the island and placed it in the centre. She wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing and smiled at Lucille. "Do you think they'll like it?"

Lucille untied her apron and folded it neatly before placing it on the side. She spoke as Gabriella did the same. "It's got meat involved. They'll love it, I promise. You'll soon learn that Bolton men are meat men."

Gabriella giggled and nodded. "Okay."

Lucille called the three males into the kitchen and Jack came in, carrying Connor on his back. "Oh, I smell my Lucy's chicken." He grinned as he set Connor on one of the stools before moving around to sit next to Lucille.

Gabriella looked uncertainly at the two stools left over. One was for Troy. Connor was sat at the far end, opposite Jack so she could either be in between the Bolton brothers or just next to Troy. "Um, where should I sit?"

"It doesn't matter, honey. Its fine," Lucille assured her.

"Is it okay if I sit by you?" she asked Connor.

He nodded as he sipped his milk. "Yeah, you can sit by me, Gabby. Troy usually sits by me but it's okay because you're not usually here."

Gabriella giggled and sat down somewhat awkwardly on the high island stool. "Thank you, Connor. It means a lot to me."

"Troy David Alexander Bolton, get down here now!" Lucille yelled.

Troy finally trudged downstairs, his hair still slightly damp. He was dressed in his signature baggy jeans and a plain white t-shirt. "Do I smell chicken?"

"Told you," Lucille assured Gabriella.

Troy looked at Gabriella and sighed as he sat down on the stool next to her. "I suppose I'm sat next you."

"Would you like to sit here?" she asked quietly, looking at her plate that still only had the baked potato on it. Lucille had told her how they were strict to the fact that nobody started their dinner until they were all at the table.

Troy looked towards Lucille and sighed at the look she sent him. "No, it's fine."

They all dug into the chicken pieces. Gabriella stuck to just two small pieces of chicken; she didn't have much of an appetite as the events of today were taking their toll on her. Connor was commanded by Lucille that he couldn't have more than three pieces. Lucille herself had picked out two fairly large pieces and one smaller piece. Troy and Jack, however, didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

"This chicken is fantastic, Mom," Troy commented as he paused to pick up another chicken piece.

"Actually, I only prepared the potatoes. Gabi was the one to cook the chicken," Lucille dismissed, gesturing to the young girl who was currently cutting up her last piece of potato.

Troy frowned and looked at her in shock. "You cooked this?"

Gabriella nodded shyly. "Yeah, I did. I'd…I mean, I wanted to help. Lucy told me the basics but I added a couple of herbs and spices to it like we do where I'm from."

"Very nice, Gabi," Jack appraised her.

"It's lovely," Connor agreed sweetly.

Gabriella blushed prettily and set her knife and fork together. She lightly dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. "I'm glad you enjoyed it," she mumbled.

"Did you enjoy it, Troy?" Lucille asked pointedly.

"It's delicious," he murmured.

Gabriella nodded appreciatively. "Do you think I could be excused?"

"Are you sure you don't want anymore? There's ice cream for desert," she offered.

Gabriella frowned and shook her head. "I'm not really hungry at the minute. If it's okay," she started politely, "I'd like to go upstairs to my room and rest."

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I guess I need to think things through a little bit." She stood up and took her dirty dishes to the sink. "Thank you, again, for letting me stay here. It means a lot to me." She smiled slightly before disappearing upstairs.

She pulled open the wooden door at the end of the hallway and ascended the stairs that curved above what Lucille had told her was Troy's room into the attic. It was very spacious, taking up the space from each floor. It was painted various shades of blue with white curvaceous patterns painted artistically on the walls. The ceiling was a pale blue but had white clouds painted on it, making it a heavenly sky. The large king sized bed was against one of the many windows in the room – there was one on each wall but the one by her bed was the largest. Beneath the window was a little sill with cushions which made her bed that little bit bigger. She imagined herself lying there and staring at the moonlit sky, thinking about her parents.

She appreciated the room. It was well decorated and well organised. On the opposite wall to her bed was a large desk with a small laptop. Adjacent to the desk was a bookshelf with many books that Gabriella looked forward to reading – she knew she'd be here for a while. Situated in the middle of the room was a small cream sofa and opposite was a small coffee table and a TV complete with digital TV and DVD player.

She began undressing until she was only in her underwear. She began pulling the cotton pyjamas that Lucille had bought her on. It was different to the nightwear she had grown accustomed to. She'd grown up with silk nightgowns that had always been designed and made by Ricardo to fit her figure perfectly. But, these were much different. They made her feel like a regular teenager for once. The pyjamas consisted of a lilac tank top and matching shorts that left a little midriff showing. It was far more revealing than she was comfortable with but no one other than her would see her like it. If she was going downstairs in her pyjamas, she would put her robe on.

She shook her head to herself and climbed onto her bed and climbed onto the window sill. She pulled her knees towards her chest and then tugged the thin comforter until it was wrapped around her. She looked up at the moon. It was pale against the still darkening sky. She'd been in Albuquerque maybe five hours and all she'd done was think about Costa Delta and Greg and Gina…and Gerald. She didn't want to think about the latter but she couldn't help it. He'd taken everything she'd ever known away from her. Simply because she wouldn't marry him.

It sounded silly and way too overdramatic. But, she didn't want to marry him. If not for the fact she found him too old, ugly and simply repulsive, Greg and Gina had warned her from a very young age that Gerald's family had been after the crown for years. Something about someone's cousin once removed not being the direct heir. She couldn't recall the entire family situation but knew vaguely that they were, in some long winded way, related.

But, Gabriella knew he had gone too far this time. He'd invaded her country and held her parents captive. She had faith in Jack and the Princess Protection Programme to intervene if things got too bad but she knew they would. Gerald had been brought up, just like she had, to fight for the crown. Except, Gerald brought things to a much greater length than she was. She wanted her country to feel that their royal family was safe and they would continue ruling Costa Delta for many generations to come.

Greg was sick. Her heart worried for him the most. He was already frail and Gabriella had been praying every night for him to get through her coronation. The doctors had begged for him to use a wheel chair but he had been stubborn and told them that his legs hadn't given out completely and that God gave him two legs so that if one stopped working, he could hop. Of course, he didn't hop…he limped. And that just broke Gabriella's heart. She knew that he'd accepted the fact that he'd die but she wished that he would slow down. She wanted him to have a wheelchair. That way, he couldn't collapse and hurt himself and make things worse. Watching him limp was just too painful sometimes.

The moon, which had darkened with slow descent of the sun, became a hazy blue, mixing in with the dark sapphire sky. She knew she was crying. She didn't want to cry in front of Jack and Lucille, and especially Troy and Connor, and had been holding them back ever since she'd arrived. But now that she was alone, she couldn't help but let the tears flow. She wasn't sure how long they'd last but she was positive that they weren't stopping anytime soon. She didn't want her father to worry about everything. That could make things worse and all she wanted was for Greg to see her get crowned queen.

There was a knock at the door that led up the stairs. She wiped her eyes and scrambled out of bed. She pulled her robe from the hook beside the doorway and wrapped it around her petite frame before she headed down the stairs. She pushed the door open and saw Jack standing there. "Jack?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Lucille's just putting Connor to bed. He's so stubborn on a night. We're all going to bed, too. I thought I'd say goodnight."

She nodded gratefully. "Goodnight. How long have I been up here?"

"About an hour and a half, I think. Is everything okay?" he asked worriedly. "Is the room okay?"

She smiled and nodded. "The room's great. I love it. It's wonderful. I guess everything is getting to me now in a rush is all."

Troy wandered up the stairs and came down the landing to where Jack and Gabriella were talking. "Night," he mumbled before walking into his room and shutting the door behind him.

"Sorry about him. He'll come around," Jack murmured.

She nodded. "Okay. Well, I'm quite tired. It's been a long day."

"I know. Get some rest. You'll go to East High tomorrow, Gabi. That means blending in and being a regular teenager," he warned.

She nodded. "Blend. Right. Goodnight Jack," she whispered before she shut the door and rushed back up the stairs. She threw her robe off and threw it carelessly to the side. She practically threw herself onto her bed and pulled the covers right up over her head, crying into her pillows.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I hope you like it :)**

**Don't own HSM x  
**

Gabriella scooped the cereal onto the spoon and sniffed it before letting it fall back down. He smelt…odd. It was way different from food in Costa Delta. Lucille had eaten something she'd called 'toast' which had looked and smelt like burnt bread with butter. The cereal just looked like mush. The box in the centre of the island read _Corn Flakes_ but Gabriella doubted it was corn. It didn't look like it. American's were funny people if they ate this for breakfast each morning. She didn't know how it tasted but it looked awful.

Her clothes weren't all that cheerful, either. She'd woken up at six fifteen AM and had a shower for half an hour. Lucille had helped her to dry her hair and helped her to arrange her curls into a delicate side ponytail with a few strands of hair framing her face. Then Gabriella had dressed in a pair of denim capris pants and a white camisole and had brought a petite, tight fitting denim jacket down with her. Lucille had given her a backpack and some text books and notebooks along with a variety of pieces of stationary.

Everything was so different. Gone were her pink silk nightgowns, her three course breakfast and her morning piano recital. She didn't even know if the Boltons' had a piano. But, she wanted one. Or a violin. Or any instrument, come to think of it. She wasn't a spoilt princess. She didn't take anything for granted. In fact, she did a lot of charity work to gain knowledge about the underprivileged people of her country. But, if she had her morning music recital, performed by the royal entertainer, she'd be in Costa Delta with her parents.

She picked up the spoon again and prodded the cereal that had turned soggy. She slipped the spoon between her lips and chewed slowly onto the lone corn flake. It wasn't too bad. It barely tasted of anything, be honest. She could only taste the milk. She took another, bigger, spoonful and ate it slowly. She glanced up at Lucille who was wiping the kitchen counters down. They had been talking but, once again, Gabriella had slipped into a silence.

She felt guilty about it. She was grateful to Jack and Lucille for allowing her to live in their home for who-knows-how-long. She was grateful to Connor for giving her some pleasure through her depressing time. It sounded strange but, she was probably mostly grateful to Troy. He had friends at school and she was intruding. It couldn't have been easy for him. But, this was her first day at East High. She supposed that his true opinion her would depend on how she acted in school and around his friends.

She stood from the island stool and took her empty bowl over to the sink. She began washing the bowl and spoon up and sighed. "Thank you, Lucy."

"Did you like it?" she asked politely.

Gabriella nodded despite herself. "Yes, it was lovely." She placed the bowl and spoon on the draining rack and then reached for a tea towel to dry her hands. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"It's okay. I'm happy to help. And, don't worry, Troy will come around. I promise," she said sincerely.

Gabriella sat back down at the island and pulled her book towards her. She'd picked a random one up from the shelves in her room that morning. She flipped it open and began reading. "Where's Troy?" she enquired after a moment.

Lucille glanced at the clock. "He should be down in a minute. He'll drive you to school and Jack will enrol you."

Gabriella nodded. "Okay." She lifted her head. "What will I tell people? I mean, they can't know who I am."

Lucille sat down on the opposite side of the island. "Gabi, you'll tell people that you're our goddaughter, okay?"

The Latino girl frowned. "What about my parents?"

"Tell people they're…on a second honeymoon," Lucille thought up. "A second honeymoon. That's it."

Gabriella nodded unsurely. "Okay. Is East High a good school?"

"The best in Albuquerque," Lucille replied. "Although, I'm a little biased. I'm originally from Minnesota and I met Jack in college and I moved down here to be with him because he wanted to stay in Albuquerque. But, it's a good job for Jack and Troy likes it and he hasn't been in too much trouble. Yeah, it's a good school."

"What about Troy's friends?" Gabriella whispered.

"Troy's friends are great. They're really good for him. He knows that they're friends with him because they want him in their lives, not because they want popularity. He's known some of them since kindergarten but he loves them all the same," Lucille explained.

"Do you think…When do you think I can go back?" Gabriella whispered.

Lucille shrugged sadly. "I'm not sure, sweetheart. I don't know all that much about Jack's job at the programme, if I'm honest. So, I wouldn't like to say. But, he told me about his promise. If he hears anything, he'll tell you right away."

Gabriella nodded as Troy walked into the kitchen and sat down at the island next to her. She frowned at his appearance. His dirty blonde hair was sticking out in all directions, making it obvious that he hadn't even considered making an effort to sort it out. He was wearing a casual white shirt with a red East High sports jacket and a pair of faded blue jeans that exhibited more creases than Gabriella could count. She wasn't familiar with American fashion but she questioned if everyone wore clothes that were in need of an iron. She glanced at Lucille and then decided that it wasn't everyone. Lucille, as always, wore a smart white blouse and some black pants.

Troy reached for the bowl in the centre of the island, and then reached for the corn flakes. His eyes kept fluttering closed and he was pouring the corn flakes into the bowl blindly. He set the box down and reached for the milk carton. The milk splashed clumsily into the bowl and he briefly cracked one eye open before shutting it. He tipped the carton up straight before lifting it slowly to his lips and taking a long gulp.

"Troy!" Lucille exclaimed. "We use that milk, too. Gabi will not appreciate you drinking from the carton."

Troy opened his eyes and set the carton in the middle of the island. "Sorry, Gabi," he mumbled.

"It's okay," she said softly. "I don't mind. I've had my breakfast."

Troy began scooping his cereal onto his spoon and swallowed the cereal without thinking about it. "How long have you been awake?" he muttered.

Gabriella shrugged, her eyes locked on him. "A couple of hours. Your mother and I have been talking for a while."

"She'll like that," he murmured as a drop of milk began rolling down his chin.

Gabriella gestured to her chin. "You've got a little…" She reached for a napkin as he frowned at her. She began wiping his chin, her eyes locked on his. Her fingers brushed against his skin and she felt the hint of stubble. His eyes softened from the harsh grey she'd grown accustomed to, to a gentle blue. Her hand dropped from his face and set the napkin onto the island. "I'm sorry."

Troy nodded and turned back to the cereal in front of him. "It's okay," he whispered. "Just don't do that at lunch today."

Gabriella licked her lips. "Okay. I guess that'll mean I'll blend in?"

Troy nodded. "Yep."

Lucille stood up and walked over to her son. She began fussing over Troy's appearance and he just allowed her to sort him out. She ran her fingers through his hair a couple of times until it wasn't as messy and fell down over his forehead. She straightened his shirt and jacket out and didn't even touch the jeans. "Put those jeans in the wash tonight, please, Troy?" she asked.

"You'll put them in the trash," he muttered as he took his bowl and spoon to the sink and quickly washed them out.

"They need to be," Lucille exclaimed.

"Why?" Gabriella asked innocently.

"Troy's had those jeans for two years. It's hard to believe they still fit considering the rate he's still growing. They're torn and misshaped and faded. The colour ran in the washer. They need to be thrown out. And Troy knows that if he puts them in the washer, I'll put them in the trash, where they belong," Lucille explained.

Troy walked back over to the island and yawned. "I love these jeans," he muttered.

Jack dawdled into the kitchen and kissed Lucille quickly. "Morning, honey. Ready to go, Troy? Gabi?"

"Is he okay?" Gabriella asked.

Lucille nodded. "They both are. They just struggle with mornings. Jack will wake up when you get to East High and Troy will wake up by second period."

"Oh," Gabriella whispered as she shut her book and placed it neatly into her backpack. She pulled her denim jacket on and reached for her bag. "Goodbye, Lucy. Thank you very much for my breakfast."

Troy stared at her as he picked his own bag up and shrugged it onto his shoulder. "Are you always happy-go-lucky on a morning?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Gabriella said slowly. "I just enjoy mornings."

* * *

After a fairly short, but silent, ride to East High, Jack began filing forms to register her at the school. He gave her a few papers including her schedule, a map and a list of possible school activities she could sign up for. Jack, Troy and Gabriella had all agreed that she was Jack and Lucille's goddaughter from Wisconsin and her parents were on their second honeymoon. Troy had been instructed by Jack to take care of her but she knew that he wasn't too thrilled about it.

Gabriella's opinion of East High was far from impressed. There was red and white everywhere. That wasn't so bad. But, the students were so loud and boisterous. They didn't seem to have any respect for each other. It seemed so scary. And it didn't look the cleanest of places, if she was honest. She didn't know what classes were like in a public American school but, she was a little bit nervous. She'd never had to share teachers before. She'd always been home-schooled.

She swallowed and looked at Jack. What if she couldn't do it? What if she couldn't just blend in? What if Troy's friends didn't like her? What if someone found out she was a princess? Jack had told her over and over again how her parents were safe as long as no one found out. As long as she was Gabi Hudgens from Wisconsin, she was as good as invisible which meant that Gerald had no idea as to where she is.

She looked down at her schedule. "Jack, where's law? And Flemish? And German? And…" She trailed off when she saw Jack and Troy staring at her with raised eyebrows. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever you were taught back home is different to what you'll learn here. Those are your classes which are the same as Troy's," Jack explained.

"So, if I follow Troy around, I'll be in the right place?" she asked quietly.

Troy shrugged. "Sure. I've got practice at free period, though."

"And Gabriella's welcome," Jack said pointedly, shooting Troy a stern look. "Gabriella, if you'd like, you can watch basketball practice."

She nodded timidly. "Is that what other girls do?"

"Kelsi comes sometimes and Sharpay does, too. You can sit with them," Troy offered.

Gabriella nodded slowly. "Okay… Jack, are you sure you haven't heard anything?"

Jack nodded sadly. "I'll tell you what, I'll contact Ania and ask her, okay?" He rested a hand on her shoulder.

Gabriella shrugged and looked down at her map, blinking back the tears that were blurring her vision. "Do what you like," she muttered before turning around and bravely facing the mass of students crowding the halls. "Excuse me," she said politely to the couple of teenagers stood in front of her. "Excuse me," she said louder. "I said excuse me," she said pointedly.

The group of girls, a couple of cheerleaders, turned to her. One with blonde hair and a tan which Gabriella was sure was fake, stepped forward. She towered over Gabriella, her dark eyes piercing through Gabriella. "Excuse you? Why? You see, here at East High, there's a list of priority. Teachers, Troy Bolton and his posse, jocks, cheerleaders, drama clubbers, skaters, geeks, dogs, vermin…new students."

Troy suddenly appeared behind Gabriella, looking much more awake than Gabriella remembered. His arm was secured around her shoulders and he looked down at her, sending her a wink. "Hey, Regina. How are things?"

She giggled. "Things are absolutely great, thanks. What are you doing with…this?"

Troy narrowed his eyes. Despite how he didn't need Gabriella suddenly appearing in his life, he cared about her. He couldn't imagine being away from his parents, especially with them practically being threatened. It was in his nature to care for people, whether he knew them or not. But, after thinking things over last night, Troy had come to the conclusion that Gabriella didn't need him acting mean around her. Sure, she was an 'official' princess but, she seemed honestly nice and she deserved a chance. Troy squeezed Gabriella's shoulders. "Regina, I'd like you to meet Gabi. She's my parents' goddaughter. An old friend of the family. She'll be here a while."

"Where's she from? Disneyland?" she sneered. "This is high school, not Cinderella's palace."

Gabriella flinched at the irony. "I was being polite."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Regina, Gabi's a close friend of mine. I've visited her in Wisconsin every summer since we were six. I'd appreciate it if you treated her nicely."

Regina glared at Gabriella. "Fine," she hissed. She turned to Troy and her voice lightened to a cheerful tone. "Bye, Troy." She turned back to her friends, obviously giggling about her interaction with Troy Bolton.

Troy breathed out and began steering Gabriella through the crowd. "Bitch," he muttered.

"Why are you touching me?" Gabriella demanded.

"I'm saving your ass from getting kicked," he hissed. "And mine, too. If I don't save your butt, my dad will kick mine." He stopped by a locker and let go of her, dialling his combination in. He pulled it open and began sorting through his books.

"I wanted to get through the crowd," she mumbled.

"God gave you elbows for a reason. That's what Chad always says," he said dryly as he threw his bag into his locker and then shut it. He sighed. "Listen, don't talk to cheerleaders…or look at them, come to think of it. I try not to."

"She said jocks were above cheerleaders. Aren't you are jock?" she asked in confusion.

He nodded. "Sure I am. It comes with advantages, of course. I get to jump the line at the water fountain, I got to sit on the backseat of the bus when I used to ride it before I had my truck, I'm never one to not have a partner for a project, and I'm never picked last for teams in gym…" He sighed. "But, there're downfalls. Having your own stalker club is one of them."

"Those girls stalk you?" Gabriella asked slowly.

Troy chuckled. "Close enough. I've had to change my cell phone number three times." A thought suddenly occurred to Troy and he leaned against his locker, looking over at the young Latina girl. "Does that happen to you?"

Gabriella frowned. "I've never had a cell phone."

"I meant: are you ever unsure about if people actually like you?" Troy asked quietly.

She smiled sadly. "Yeah. But, then again, I only really actually talk to people at balls or parties. Even then, they're much older than me."

Troy was about to question her when the bell rang. Panic flashed through his cobalt eyes and he grabbed her hand without thinking. "We're going to be late," he exclaimed before he dragged her down the corridor. After pleasantries were exchanged between Ms Darbus, Troy and Gabriella, the homeroom teacher sat the latter at the spare seat at the back. Troy cringed when Ms Darbus declared that they both had detention…during free period.

As Ms Darbus began the announcements, Chad, who sat behind Troy, leaned forward. "Who's the chick?"

"Gabi," Troy replied. "And she's not a chick."

Chad frowned. Troy never got close to the new kids. "Whatever, dude."

* * *

After Gabriella's first period of drama, which wasn't so bad although Ms Darbus scared her, Gabriella found herself following Troy into Spanish. He headed to the back of the classroom and greeted the boy who sat behind him in homeroom with a hug. Gabriella glanced around the classroom and, as it was the lesson of her mother tongue, she wanted to sit at the front. She approached a desk with a guy sitting on it. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was good looking. But, he wasn't as good looking as Troy. This guy had a certain…cockiness about him.

She cleared her throat. "Excuse me. I'd like to sit here."

The boy laughed with his friends. "Of course you would. _I'm_ sat here." He did a high-five with each of his friends before he stood up. His eyes immediately travelled over her body, appraising her appearance. He smiled flirtatiously at her and held his hand out. "Drake," he murmured.

"Gabi," she introduced herself politely.

"Sure, you can sit here," he exclaimed, gesturing to the desk.

"Thank you very much. I'm sure I will enjoy it." She smiled at him as she took her seat and began digging through her backpack for a notebook and a pen.

Drake grinned at his friends as he sat in the seat behind Gabriella. "I think I'll enjoy Spanish much, much more now, boys," he said quietly.

Troy narrowed his eyes and grabbed his bag before he stormed to the front of the classroom and sat next to Gabriella. "Hey, Gabi," he said cheerfully.

She turned to him and smiled. "Hi, Troy."

The bell rang and the class settled down as the teacher, Ms Cabot stood up. "Hola alumnos."

"Hola Ms Cabot," the class chorused.

Ms Cabot smiled politely at Gabriella. "We have a new student joining us today. Gabi, why don't you tell us about yourself?"

Gabriella rose from her chair and glanced around. "Hola, mi nombre es Gabi. Tengo diecisiete- Ow!" she cried when Troy kicked her leg. "Perdóneme. Tengo dieciocho años. Hablo Español, francés, chino, griego, alemán, flamenco- Ow" she cried again. She looked down at Troy who was shaking his head. "Gracias." She sat back down and picked her pen back up. **(A/N: I don't know if that was right but it was supposed to mean: hello, my name is Gabi. I am seventeen- Ow! Excuse me. I am eighteen years old. I speak Spanish, French, Chinese, Greek, German, Flemish- Ow! Thank you.)**

"Wow. Very impressive, Miss Hudgens," Ms Cabot praised. "It'll be a pleasure to teach you.

Troy propped his head up onto his hand. This was going to be harder than he thought.

* * *

Lunch rolled around and Troy found himself sitting at his usual lunch table beneath the cafeteria balcony. His tray of pizza, apple, muffin and carton of milk was in front of him but he hadn't touched it. He was surrounded by his friends, the only person missing being Gabriella. He had no idea where she was. After going to the bathroom and telling her to wait by his locker, he'd lost her. Jack was going to kill him, he was sure of it.

He couldn't believe it. She spoke a million different languages and was brilliant at basketball. A princess was actually good at basketball. She had stumbled a little bit and Troy had soon picked up to stay close to her so he could catch her when she fell. It seemed strange. A princess that was clumsy. Who knew? But, it still didn't stop her from standing out. She's seventeen, well everyone else thinks she's eighteen, years old and she speaks more languages than Troy could imagine anyone knowing with that kind of fluency.

But, the worst part of all of that? He knew that Drake Parker was already planning a way to add her to the long list of girls he'd made his way through. He was as good a player at girls as Troy was at basketball. The ironic thing, though, was, Drake was always a rebound. The girls went to Troy, he'd politely decline and then while they were upset, Drake would come in and 'comfort' them. Soon, after they'd slept together, of course, Drake would grow tired and dump them. But, the girls didn't care. They just wanted to tell their friends that they'd slept with Drake Parker.

"Wow, you're deep in thought," Chad nudged his best friend.

Troy frowned. "I know," he mumbled.

"What's up?" Sharpay piped up, not lifting her eyes from her pocket mirror.

"Nothing."

"Not true," Kelsi exclaimed.

Troy lifted his head and glared playfully at the composer. "Shut up." He sighed. "Does anybody know where Gabi is?"

"I think I do," Ryan said quietly as he pointed to the lunch queue.

Troy quickly looked over at the lunch queue and rolled his eyes. Gabriella was completely ignoring the line and took place in front of Drake when he obviously offered for her to step in front of him. She was now speaking to the lunch lady and hesitated when the lunch lady handed her a plate of pizza before she moved onto the fruit. Troy stood up. "I'll be back," he muttered before he headed over to the lunch line. He placed a hand on Gabriella's back. "Gabi," he muttered.

She turned to him after picking up a pear. "Oh, hi Troy."

He followed her along the line and reached over to pick a muffin up for her. "Where did you go? I told you to wait by my locker," he hissed.

"I needed the bathroom and when I got to your locker, you weren't there," she explained as Troy paid for her lunch.

Troy grasped her arm and began pulling her over to the lunch table. "Sit down," he ordered quietly.

"You can't tell me what to do," she said strongly.

Troy raised his eyebrows and pushed her gently down onto the seat. He sat down and turned to her. "By the power of Troy Bolton, I order you to sit down. Happy now?"

Gabriella dropped her bag and glared at him. "If Regina's list of priority is right, I have no choice, do I?"

He leaned close to whisper in her ear. "If you want to blend in and keep both of our butts safely intact, no, you don't." He straightened back up and smiled at his friends. "Guys, this is Gabi. Gabi, these are my friends. That's Chad, Chad's girlfriend, Taylor, Sharpay, Sharpay's boyfriend, Zeke, Sharpay's twin brother, Ryan, Ryan's girlfriend, Martha, Kelsi, and Kelsi's boyfriend, Jason."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Stop it, Troy! You're confusing the poor girl. Ignore Troy, I do. Most times."

"Gee, thanks Tay," Troy muttered sarcastically.

Gabriella giggled quietly as she pushed her tray away slightly, leaving space directly in front of her on the table. She unfolded a napkin and set it on the table before placing her plate of a rather large slice of pepperoni pizza on top of it. She reached for her knife and fork and began cutting it up.

Troy rolled his eyes. He glanced at his friends to see them staring at Gabriella in disbelief. He kicked Gabriella in the shin again and picked up his own slice of pizza, taking a bite. "Hey, Gabi," he said with his mouth full, "this pizza is great, isn't it?"

Gabriella looked across at him and her eyes widened. She leaned closer to him. "Is this how regular teenagers eat pizza?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah."

Gabriella put her knife and fork down, glancing at the group of Troy's friends, and swallowed hard as she picked the slice of pizza and took a bite, creating a moustache of tomato sauce. She leaned into Troy again. "Is this alright?"

Troy laughed and nodded. "That's great." He smiled to himself as Gabriella continued eating her pizza and all of his friends turned back to their original conversations. Sure, Gabriella was struggling to blend in but he had a feeling he'd enjoy her company no matter what.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ummmm...You might not like this chapter. This kind of gives an insight into Gabriella's life as a princess. As for the ending, remember that her parents have been taken hostage and she's halfway across the world from them. Please remember that it's a big change for her. Don't hate me or her!!!!**

**Don't own HSM x

* * *

**

After Troy and Gabriella arrived home with Jack, Lucille had asked about Gabriella's first day at East High. Troy had answered, answering truthfully but saving Gabriella from her lunchtime embarrassment. Lucille seemed beyond impressed, along with Jack who was clueless, at how many languages Gabriella could speak and her ability in math and science. Gabriella had blushed profusely and busied herself with getting drinks for both herself and Troy. After breakfast that morning, Gabriella had assumed that Troy's favourite drink was milk and when she asked Troy, she had been proved correct.

Troy had had to confess to his parents about Gabriella's first detention that they'd shared during free period. Jack, of course, knew about it but Lucille expressed her shock of Gabriella getting detention. Troy had, though, explained how it was his fault for talking to Gabriella too long in the hallway. Jack and Lucille had glanced at each other and, after talking in the silent husband-wife language that scared Troy to no end, decided that Troy's week of grounding because of his pop quiz wouldn't be increased and Gabriella wasn't punished because it was Troy's fault. Jack and Lucille had, however, decided that Troy could practice basketball for an hour before dinner has he'd missed practice two days in a row.

Gabriella felt a pang of guilt as she thought about that. Troy had missed basketball during free period because…of her. She was the reason he'd gotten them both detention. She was interfering in his life. Sure, he seemed to have lightened up a little and they'd had a couple of quality conversations but, she still felt like an intruder.

She was positive she was going to get a bruise on her shin in the morning after the amount of times Troy had kicked her to warn her when she wasn't blending in. She had protested, asking him if he could simply cough. But, he'd replied, in a fairly joking manner, that people would think he had a boulder stuck in his throat from the amount of coughing he'd have to do.

After Troy and Gabriella had finished their lunches, she'd asked him if they could visit Jack to find out if he'd found anything out from Ania. Troy had, of course, agreed and led her to Jack's office. He'd felt the need to cover her eyes as Jack's office was in the boys' locker room. The freshman baseball team had been practicing and he was trying to save Gabriella as much embarrassment as possible. However, he couldn't save her completely as a bunch of guys kept wolf whistling at her. One glare from Troy had shut them up, though. Unfortunately, even though Jack had contacted Ania, Ania had received no update from Ricardo or Clarisse.

Troy's friends seemed really nice. She could tell, though, they were a little weary after her episode with the pizza at lunch. But, she picked up that Taylor was on the scholastic decathlon team and a lawyer in teen court, Kelsi was a composer and Ryan and Sharpay were in the drama club. Chad, Zeke and Jason were on the basketball team and Chad, Jason and Ryan were on the senior baseball team.

Gabriella sighed as she stared up the sky. She was lying on the shore of the lake, looking up at the blue sky that was scattered by a few lonely clouds. Her hair, still in the side ponytail, was falling over her left shoulder. She could feel the sand beneath her fingers and her feet and feel the setting sun beating down on her skin. Her shoes were set off to the side and the lower parts of her leg were also exposed to the sand and the sun.

Troy was playing his hour of basketball with Jack and Connor. While Jack had offered for her to play, even Troy had furthered the invitation to being on his team, and Lucille had offered her to watch some TV but Gabriella had declined. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to think without anyone around her.

Gina was a magnificent queen and Gabriella would always see her as one of the greatest rulers of Costa Delta. But, how would she ever be able to match up to her mother. Gina had made it very clear ever since Gabriella had begun learning about her future role of queen that a queen never tells lies. What was she doing? Lying to everyone in Albuquerque. But, she had to admit that it was for her parents' safety.

A head suddenly appeared in front of hers, blocking out the sun. "Hey," Troy said, grinning down at her.

She frowned up at him. She guessed that he was lying on his stomach, propped up by his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Connor got bored so I decided to come and find you. Would you like some company? I won't even talk if you don't want me to," he offered.

She smiled slightly up at him. "Well, if you're offering my new-student-unworthiness your company, who am I to decline?"

He chuckled as he rolled over onto his back so that their heads were next to each other, both looking up at the sky. "Nah. You'll never be a new student in my eyes. After all, we've been spending Christmas together since we were six," he joked.

She giggled. "Well, I don't know. What makes you think I want you around my royal self?"

"You see, you're wrong. Gabi's not a princess. That's Gabriella." He twisted his head and grinned. It faded when she was silent. "Gabi?"

"That's just it," she whispered. "That's what I've been thinking about." She rolled over to face him, their faces just inches apart. "I know this whole thing is so my parents are safe and I wouldn't have it any other way if it means they're safe. But, I want them back, okay?" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I want to be back in my country. I don't want to lie. I just…don't. My mom told me that a queen doesn't lie."

"Can I say something?" Troy asked quietly when Gabriella paused for breath.

Gabriella nodded timidly. "Okay," she whispered.

"It'll get better. I know it will. Why don't you embrace this time and just be a regular teenager?" he asked gently.

She shrugged. "I'm not a regular teenager. And how do you know it'll get better? You don't know who has taken my parents hostage."

"I know it'll get better because my dad's involved. It sounds cheesy but my dad has never let things escalate too far. Trust me. He'll never let anything happen to you or your parents. That's how I know. And, besides, I wouldn't let anything happen to you, either. I don't know how long you'll be here but the least I can do is at least be your friend," Troy explained. "Will you let me do that?"

Gabriella sat up and frowned as she twisted to face him as he sat up, too. "You want to be friends? With me? Why? What happened to all of that bitterness yesterday? I'd much rather you be frank than meddle with my emotions."

Troy frowned. "Will you listen to me?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Yesterday was the worst possible day you could've come here. Mondays are truly evil in my life. I mean, it's the start of the school week meaning I had to wake up early after two days of sleeping in, then I had to face Ms Darbus first thing and I got detention and failed my math pop quiz, not forgetting the chilli incident…I apologise, okay? But, if this is going to work, you staying here, we have to be friends. It's the only way you can survive East High. I mean," he chuckled as he saw the faint blue outline of a large bruise forming on her leg, "think about how many times I kicked you."

"Yeah," she whined. "It hurt."

"I'm sorry," he apologised. "But, you said you were seventeen, but everyone thinks you're eighteen and then started saying how you speak a million different languages in perfect Spanish. Then, at lunch you were eating pizza like you were having tea with the queen of England."

She giggled and looked down at her hands. "Do you honestly think I can be a regular teenager?"

Troy reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Yes, I do. You've just got to…you know, think before you do anything."

She shook her head to herself. "I've got to do that anyway. I'm the clumsiest princess you'll ever meet. My mother was a peasant before she married my father. According to my father, I got all of her genes."

"Is she beautiful, too?" he asked without thinking. His eyes went wide and he took his hand away from hers.

"Ummm…yes," Gabriella answered awkwardly. "She is rather beautiful."

Troy avoided her eyes and scratched the back of his neck. "Ummm…can I ask how many languages do you speak?"

Gabriella nodded. "Nine."

"You only said six in Spanish, though," Troy said thoughtfully.

"Add English, Russian and Latin to that…" Gabriella trailed off and lifted her eyes to look at him. She sighed at his raised eyebrows. "I like to speak the native tongue of my staff. Besides, Costa Delta has many spoken languages. The main is Spanish but it varies with each family."

Troy nodded slowly. "What about instruments? I heard you talking to Kelsi…"

Gabriella laughed gently. "I play the piano, cello, violin, flute and clarinet."

"Wow. I only play the acoustic guitar. It makes me sound inferior," he muttered.

"Do you play well?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess. I mostly play Elvis' songs."

"Elvis?" Gabriella asked, furrowing her brow.

Troy's jaw dropped in shock. "You've never heard of Elvis? Elvis Presley," he clarified.

She slowly shook her head. "No."

"Elvis! Elvis with the pelvis! The king of rock 'n' roll! Come on. Is your country dormant or something?" Troy exclaimed indignantly.

Gabriella giggled and nodded. "You could say that. We're just a small island. Not very well known. I'm sorry, I've never heard of Elvis." An idea suddenly struck. "Maybe you could play some songs for me sometime."

Troy's eyes widened with shock and began shaking his head. "I don't sing. I _can't_ sing. The furthest my singing has gone is singing in the shower."

Gabriella looked a little down-heartened. "Oh. Okay." She stood up and brushed the sand from her clothes. She slipped her shoes on and held his hand out. "I just thought your voice sounded like one that can sing."

He frowned as he accepted her hand and got to her feet. "What? You thought I was some closet singer?"

She shrugged innocently. "I don't know. Oh well. Maybe I can ask Kelsi to play me something." She let go of his hand and began wandering towards the house.

Troy hurried after her. "Well, you can listen to my CDs. Well, not my CDs but Elvis' CDs. He writes some cool songs. Well, wrote some cool songs."

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

"He died about thirty years back," Troy explained as they entered the house.

"Really?" she asked quietly. "And people still listen to his music?"

"People still think he's alive," Troy exclaimed.

"But, why would they think that if he's dead?" Gabriella asked.

Troy pulled the fridge open and grabbed the milk carton as Gabriella jumped onto the kitchen counter to reach the top cupboard. She pulled it open and placed two glasses on the counter beside her. Whilst getting the drinks after school, Gabriella had struggled to reach the top cupboard and Troy had simply lifted her up onto the counter. Troy walked over to her and poured the milk into the tumblers. "Because," he started as he looked at her, "half of America is stupid and refuse to believe he's dead. **(A/N: no offence to Americans) **But, he's my idol. Well, one of them."

"Who else?" Gabriella asked softly as she picked her glass up and sipped her milk.

Troy wandered back over to the fridge to replace the milk before taking his place once again in front of Gabriella. "Michael Jordan, John Salley-"

"Who?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"Basketball players. My final idol? My dad. No contest. Between Elvis Presley and international basketball players, my dad always comes first," Troy said softly.

"You really love him," she whispered.

Troy nodded as he took a few gulps of milk. "I love my whole family more than anything in the world, to be honest. My dad is so amazing. He coaches the team so well at school and he always helps me with homework. Well, not with math and science but… And if I just need to escape and play some hoops, he'll never say no. And the way he's so brave when he goes on the missions to save girls like you.

"My mom…my mom is wonderful. She knows what going on in my life by just looking at me. She says that it's in the eyes. She once told me that it ran in my dad's genes or something and that she learnt how to read his eyes a month into their relationship. It's the same with Connor. If I'm worried about my friends, or nervous about a test, or getting stressed out because Dad's putting too much pressure on me during practice – hey, he gets a little excited and forgets himself. But, she knows. She helps me figure out what to do with my friends, she helps me with my homework as best she can and with my dad's pressure, she just tells him not to. He's so in love with her, he'd do anything to please her," Troy exclaimed passionately, his eyes locked onto Gabriella's.

"What about Connor?" Gabriella murmured.

Troy leaned against the island, his glass now half full of milk cradled in his large hands. "Connor…Gabi, Connor is this shining light in my world. You know, at school, despite how I'm friends with drama people and girls on the scholastic decathlon team, and now a multi-lingual freaky genius girl, I always feel like I'm told who to be and how to act. With Connor, all I have to be is Troy, his big brother. That's all he wants. He wants someone to watch basketball and football with. He wants someone to wrestle with. He wants someone who'll let him win at monopoly. He wants someone to look up to. It means so much to me. He looks up to me. He makes me feel proud to affect his life on such a big scale. You know?" He looked across at her, his eyes sparkling with pride as he talked about his only brother.

Gabriella smiled slightly and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm an only child. To be honest, I'm not even supposed to exist. My mom has this condition. She's not supposed to be able to have children. My dad can but she's a mystery. Everything works but the doctors had told her when she was sixteen that a baby could never grow in her womb. I proved them wrong but all I know is that I'll never have siblings. So, no one will look at me like Connor looks at you."

She sighed and looked into her glass. "But, people do look up to me. They appreciate my charity work and how I take an interest in my parents' work. It's not a secret that I look up to my mom – as a mom and as a queen. But, I'll never meet those people, you know. Not really. They'll never be friends with me, much less be my sibling. It's different when people idolise you because your face is all over the papers."

"Are you usually in the press much?" Troy asked after a moment of awkward silence.

Gabriella lifted her head and smiled slightly. "No. I don't want to be in the press, if I'm honest. I do the stuff I do because I want to help Costa Delta. I'm only in the press because of my coronation," she whispered. Her eyes watered and she took a final sip of milk before jumping down from the counter. She quickly washed her glass out and set it upside down on the draining board to dry off. She dried her hands on a tea towel and breathed out deeply. "I think I need to bathe."

Troy set his glass on the island counter and rushed around the island to stand in front of her. "Gabi, what's wrong?"

She looked down at her feet and struggled when his hands gripped her arms. "Nothing. Please let me go," she whispered.

"Did I say something to upset you?" Troy asked. "I swear I didn't mean to."

"It wasn't you," she dismissed. "Please let go of me."

Troy shook his head. "Please talk to me," he pleaded as he tried unsuccessfully to gain eye contact.

Gabriella lifted her head and glared. "I order you to let go of me."

Troy stared in disbelief and tightened his hold. "You _order_ me?" he asked, laughing sarcastically. "You have no right to order me."

"Yes, I do," she said strongly as she looked up at him. "I want you to release me."

"You don't order me what to do," Troy growled. "Look around. This isn't Costa Delta. This isn't your world. It's mine. It's not your fairytale."

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Fine. Please, oh great Troy Bolton, release me so I can escape your almightiness!" she said sarcastically.

Troy rolled his eyes. "You know, I told you about my heroes. I told you how much my family means to me because I thought you might understand after today. Obviously I was wrong." He let go of her arms before storming out of the kitchen and stomping up the stairs.

Gabriella sighed and followed him but took the last set of stairs so she was in her room. She took her hair out of the ponytail and ran her dainty fingers through her mass of curls a couple of times as she slipped her shoes off by her dresser. She pulled the hair bobble onto her wrist and then pulled her top off, revealing a plain white bra. She threw the white camisole over to the washing hamper in the corner before she began working on the snap and zipper on her pants. She shimmied out of them, revealing some plain, rather unsexy, briefs, and began folding them neatly before she set them in one of the drawers in her closet.

She walked over to her bed and lay down in just her underwear, feeling like that was the only part of her that still remained unchanged. Except her locket. She still had her locket. But, that was it. Everything she'd learnt and everything that the name Montez stood for and her parents weren't with her anymore. She truly believed that she was 'Gabi Hudgens'. Gabriella Montez was just…a memory. It seemed almost that Gabriella Montez was locked away in Costa Delta with Greg and Gina.

She twisted her head to look out of the window and subconsciously moved her hand to place it over her locket. It all seemed so simple when she looked at the sky. Her parents saw the same sun, the same moon and the same stars. She felt like she had a connection with them. The only connection she had while she was halfway across the world from them.

Her eyes fluttered closed. Despite how she was lying in just her underwear on her bed, she felt remarkably warm. Albuquerque was fairly warm. Not as warm as Costa Delta, of course, but still fairly warm. She could feel the warm breeze envelope her from the open window. She could imagine being in her gardens. Her gardens…Her gardens were so beautiful. She could see it. She was sat on a wooden bench near the palace so that she could see the entire are that the gardens took up and some of the capital of Costa Delta. Such beauty…But, she was alone. Beauty on that scale comes at a price. Such a lonely life. So much knowledge, so many lessons…She remembered her shock when she learned about public school at the age of six. How normal children could go outside and play while she was learning. Always learning…There were always expectations from her parents and her country. But, she'd go back to that, she'd take on that loneliness again, if she had Greg and Gina back.

She felt a hand shaking her shoulder and she sat up, gasping for breath. "Oh, my god!" she whimpered. She kept her eyes shut, holding onto her memory. Her cheeks were damp and she felt tears drop onto her upper chest.

She felt arms wrap around her petite frame and two lips press against her cheek. "Gabi," a familiar voice murmured. It was the last voice she wanted to hear in the circumstances. It was the voice who had told her, rather angrily, that this wasn't her fairytale world. If only he knew what her 'fairytale' was like.

Her eyes flung open and she broke from his arms, stumbling over to her closet. "What are you doing here?" she asked, facing away from him.

"Mom told me to get you down for dinner. You weren't answering so I came up here. Why were you in just your underwear?" he asked, turning to look out of the window to salvage as much of her dignity as possible.

"Does it matter?" she whispered as she pulled on a soft yellow summer dress. It had spaghetti straps and was tight around her breasts and then flared out to above her knees. She walked over to her dresser and slipped her flats back on. She threw her bobble onto the dresser and left her hair in its natural curls. She turned to Troy and bit her lip. "After all, I've came to your world from my fairytale." She shook her head to herself and left the room, leaving Troy sitting on her bed.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Heylo peeps! Ummm...I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my Gran who passed away late Sunday evening.**

**For UK people, The soundtrack to Bandslam and the DVD of 17 again is out on Monday :)**

**Don't own HSM

* * *

**

A day passed.

One day since Gabriella and Troy spoke to each other. Gabriella was too scared to talk to him and Troy was too stubborn to be the first one to break the silence. Jack and Lucille had noticed the tension between the two teenagers and had asked them about it. However, both of them said the same thing: it wasn't serious. But, they still hadn't spoken a single word to each other. At dinner, they would only talk to Connor, Jack and Lucille; Troy would silently drive Gabriella to school without conversation; Gabriella sat furthest away from Troy in class and at lunch; and Gabriella didn't go anywhere near the gym during free period but instead spent her time in the music room, playing the piano.

All of Troy's friends had noticed the obvious tension, in fact, the majority of East High had noticed, but had tried to ignore it. They conversed happily during lunch, trying their hardest to include both Troy and Gabriella but said teenagers managed to successfully avoid talking to the other. Gabriella had become fairly close to the girls of the group, especially Taylor, and she knew that Chad had been keeping a protective eye on her. Troy had, though, begun to cough quietly whenever she wasn't blending in. It hadn't happened that many times. She was still upset because of what Troy had said. It was her fault, she admitted, but what he'd said, how she wasn't in a fairytale anymore but in his world, had still pained her.

What made it worse was that Troy wouldn't stop staring at her. She didn't know why considering they were in the process of drowning in the other's silence, but he never turned away. It was like he was studying her or something. That was a liable possibility. She was, after all, practically invading his life. It was her fault. If it wasn't because she trusted no one in the programme except for Jack, she'd have been sent somewhere else and she wouldn't know Troy. That meant she wouldn't be interfering with his life.

But, just because he wanted that didn't mean that she, necessarily, did. She wanted him in her life and she'd only known him two days. That scared her. She'd only ever needed two people in her life: Greg and Gina. Now, though, she wanted Troy, too. She wanted his laziness and grumpiness on a morning. She wanted to wake up, knowing that she'd only get grunts and mumbles that took minimal effort. She wanted his protectiveness around all of the time. She wanted…She released a silent groan as the realisation sank in. She wanted to wake up every morning to see his handsome, well toned body lying next to hers.

But, that wasn't going to happen and she knew it. Despite how Greg had chosen Gina, they had mutually that it would be in 'Gabriella's best interest' if her husband was chosen for her. So, on Gabriella's eighteenth birthday, she was arranged to marry Count Carlos Gomez. He was five years older than her and she'd only met him a couple of times. She had to admit that he was very handsome. He had the whole 'tall, dark and handsome' look. He was rich, too, exceedingly so. But, she knew that he had only agreed to marry her because the prospect of being king was very appealing. But, then again, it was appealing to anyone who hadn't grown up being royalty.

It all seemed so glamorous. Palaces, balls, fabulous gowns, jewels, crowns… But, it wasn't like that all of the time. People didn't realise the amount of work and effort that went into the title of being King or Queen. Of course, the palaces and balls were part of the package and Gabriella enjoyed them, but they weren't everything. She had a country to care for. Granted, it wasn't as big as China or America, but she had a country depending on her. Every choice that she makes, every law that she passes, affects the entire population of Costa Delta. Troy only had Jack, Lucille, Connor and his friends to care for.

She felt a bolt of bitterness shoot down her spine, causing her to shiver involuntarily. It felt so harsh, so unfair, for Troy, someone she had begun to like and trust, to judge her so harshly. She narrowed her eyes as she glanced up at the math question on the board and then averted her eyes back to her notebook to answer it. Troy was, ultimately, like Jack. When she first met Jack, he openly admitted how he was a small town man – he'd grown up in Albuquerque and it was more than likely that he'd always live in Albuquerque and she guessed that Troy was going in the same direction. He'd never have to care for a country.

If she was honest, she wanted him to. She wanted him so bad. It's like she craved him. She craved his voice, his touch, his appearance…even his smell. She wanted him to help her. She wanted him beside her. She wanted him to see her world. She wanted him to know why she loved it so much despite how lonely it is.

She wanted him to feel lucky to live the life he does.

She ran a hand through her hair. But, she couldn't keep him. The only reason was Count Carlos. If she wasn't crowned queen, Gerald would instantly inherit the throne. If she managed to convince Greg and Gina to allow her to not marry Count Carlos, and didn't find anyone else to marry that Greg, Gina and the whole of Costa Delta would approve of; she wouldn't have children meaning there wouldn't be an heir to the throne other than Gerald.

That was the part that truly sickened her. She didn't have a choice. Well, she did. She could stay in Albuquerque with Troy. But, nothing was more important than Costa Delta. If she had any chance to save her people from being in the hands of Gerald, she would do anything. She refused to sit back and watch her people, her ancestors, suffer in the hands of a dictator. At the moment, she had surrendered useless. Jack had assured her that her parents were safe as long as Gabriella Montez disappeared. If she went back to Costa Delta, she'd be forced into marriage or…she dreaded to think what would happen to her parents and her people.

She suddenly raised her hand and lifted her head. "That should be sixteen over pi," she objected. She glanced around and lowered her arm. "Sorry."

Mr Harkness **(A/N: That's a total shout out to Captain Jack Harkness from **_**Doctor Who**_**!)** frowned and turned to her. "Do you have something to say Miss Hudgens?"

Gabriella swallowed and stood up. "Well, I was running through the calculations in my head…it's impossible. You've got to re-write the second equation. It should be sixteen over pi."

Mr Harkness chuckled to himself. "Well, both of those statements are impossible. To re-calculate these equations in your head…that's not possible."

She took a deep breath. "Will you please check it over?"

Mr Harkness sighed impatiently and turned to his desk, tapping some numbers into a calculator. He raised his eyebrows and slowly looked over at her. "Well, Miss Hudgens, I stand corrected. Class, I have made a mistake. Re-write the second equation. Thank you, Miss Hudgens."

Troy coughed from the back of the classroom.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and turned to him. "Oh, shut up, Troy. Please?"

He glared at her. "Are you declining my help?"

She laughed sarcastically. "What help?" she cried. "The second I want to be alone and ask for a few minutes by myself, you just…I don't know. It's not my fault, okay?"

The bell suddenly rang, breaking the trance between the two teenagers. Gabriela turned to her desk, gathering her pens and books up and she began filing everything neatly into her backpack, tears gathering in her eyes at how much his voice affected her. His voice was so confident, so dulcet and harmonious…She preferred it much more to Count Carlos's. But, she'd prefer it if it wasn't filled with so much reluctance…regret. She wanted his voice to sound like when they were in the kitchen, talking about their heroes. She wanted that voice. She shook her head to herself, swiping the tears away.

"Gabs, are you coming?" Taylor asked, gesturing to the door.

"Oh, Miss Hudgens, may I speak with you for a moment?" Mr Harkness asked.

Gabriella looked between her teacher and her friend. She shrugged to Taylor. "I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

"Usual table?" the dark-skinned girl asked.

Gabriella nodded as she swung her bag onto her shoulder. "Sure."

Taylor smiled one last time. "Bye, Sir."

"Bye, Miss McKessie," Mr Harkness dismissed. Once Taylor left, Mr Harkness leaned back against his desk. "Miss Hudgens, that was some remarkable calculations back there."

Gabriella shrugged modestly. "I like math. It's the one school subject that stays the same."

"Hmmm…" he mumbled, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I suppose it is. Why do you think I chose to teach it?"

She laughed softly. "Well, I suppose that makes sense."

"You seem fairly good friends with Taylor. Have you considered joining the scholastic decathlon team?" Mr Harkness asked.

Gabriella shrugged. "Well, I don't know. I don't know, exactly, how long I'm going to be here. My parents are on a second honeymoon and there's a cruise and…" She laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry. I honestly don't know."

"Maybe you should ask her about competitions in the nearby future. And ask her about teen court. Are you interested in law, by any chance?" Mr Harkness asked.

"A little bit. I've wanted to study it for as long as I can remember," she whispered.

"Ask her about that, too. If you're interested in teen court, we'll hold a practice case and see how you do. Think it over. I think you'll enjoy it," Mr Harkness said thoughtfully.

"Wow," Gabriella gushed. "Thank you. That's really nice of you. I'll go and talk to Taylor right now." She rushed out of the room and as soon as she was in the crowded hallway, she breathed out deeply. She headed towards her locker, feeling more confused. She already had one reason to stay in Albuquerque. She honestly didn't want to become too close to Taylor and she didn't want to join clubs where people would depend on her and then be disappointed because she left when they needed her the most. After all, she didn't know how long she was staying in Albuquerque.

She pulled her locker open and placed her bag in it. She turned and saw Sharpay, Kelsi, Taylor and Martha heading towards her. "Hello, girls."

Taylor smiled. "Hey. I was on my way to the cafeteria and found these three. Would you like to walk with us?"

Gabriella nodded and shut her locker. "Sure."

"What did Mr Harkness want?" Taylor enquired.

"Oh, he, um," her eyes caught sight of Troy leaning against the lockers opposite, talking with Regina, her hand resting on his chest, "he said to ask about the scholastic decathlon and teen court. What's he doing?" she cried, turning to her friends. "He called her a bitch on my first day."

"It won't be his fault," Kelsi muttered. "She's been after Troy for years but he knows that she just wants to get to his bed and then she'd move on."

"So, why won't she move on now? I mean, he's obviously not interested," Gabriella exclaimed.

"She's obsessive," Martha muttered.

"And we call her East High's drapes," Sharpay explained.

"Why would you call her that?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

The other four girls grinned at her and spoke simultaneously. "She hangs on him like drapes."

Gabriella released a giggle despite herself. "That's kind of funny."

"She makes it too easy," Taylor muttered. "She's the sluttiest girl in school and everyone knows it."

Troy suddenly looked across and caught Gabriella's eye. She sighed and turned away. "Well, to be honest, he can do what he wants. I just want to go back home. It all makes sense back home."

Troy suddenly pushed off of the lockers and moved over to them. "Excuse me, girls. Can I speak to Gabi alone?"

The other four glanced at each other and nodded fervently. "Of course," Taylor agreed. She touched Gabriella's arm. "We'll talk about the scholastic decathlon and teen court later, okay?"

Gabriella managed a small smile and nodded. "I'd like that. I'll see all another time."

Troy sighed and rested his right hand on the locker next to her in. "Okay, firstly, scholastic decathlon and teen court?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yes. Mr Harkness thinks that I'd be some help."

"What happened to blending in?" he asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "Can't you just be my friend?"

"Gabi, listen," he said softly, "I want to be friends. Me being mad at you isn't something you need."

"You're right," she agreed. "So, please don't pretend you know me." She held his gaze before lowering her gaze. "Excuse me," she whispered before stepping around him and starting towards the cafeteria.

Troy spun around and hurried after her, falling in step beside her. "I will not excuse you because I'm not done."

She turned to him and sighed. "What more do you have to say to me? If you want to say something more about my life and how I don't belong here…I don't want to hear it."

"Will you just stop for one second?" he asked quietly.

She frowned. "That depends on what you're going to say. I'm not going to stand here and let you assume you know what my life is like. I thought you said we practically have to be friends to make this work. I'd much rather be friends because we want to than because we don't have another choice. Believe me, I will find another choice. There is always two options. What happened to not meddling with my emotions?"

"Look, please just…" he trailed off when Drake approached them.

Drake stood next to Gabriella. "Hey, Gabi," slurred.

Gabriella coughed when his breath hit her in the face. "What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Why don't we escape this joint and have our own little party?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist, though Troy doubted it was to flirt and more to do with keeping his balance.

Gabriella swallowed nervously and she turned to Troy, her eyes flashing with fear. "No thank you," she whispered.

"But, you haven't talked with Bolton in days," he muttered.

"So?" she whispered. "I don't want to go anywhere with you."

"He'll never deliver," Drake hissed.

Troy rolled his eyes and stepped forward to hold Drake up by his collar. He glared at the other boy whose arm fell from Gabriella's waist. She immediately moved around to stand behind Troy. "Listen," Troy hissed, "you're drunk. It's already been three periods and you haven't sobered up at all. But, that's not the point. Gabi doesn't want to go out with you. So, in other words, leave her alone." He pushed Drake away. "Get to the nurse."

"Are you kidding?" Drake slurred. "I'll get expelled."

"How did you get through three periods?" Gabriella asked timidly.

Drake grinned deviously at her. "I didn't say a word."

"Just like usual, then." Troy grinned innocently. "Whatever. Come on, Gabi." He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from Drake. He began leading her into the cafeteria and up some stairs towards a yellow door. He let go of her hand briefly to jiggle the handle around and push on the door.

Gabriella looked around self-consciously. "What are you doing?"

The suddenly opened and Troy turned to her, a smile tugging at his lips. "Come on. Trust me."

"Are we supposed to be in there?" she asked.

Troy shrugged. "I honestly don't know but I've never been kicked out." He held his hand out. "Come on."

Gabriella sighed and accepted his hand, allowing him to lead her up the steps. Her eyes widened as they reached the top step and she took in the variety of plants and flowers. "Wow," she murmured, "this place is like a jungle. It reminds me of…" she trailed off and let go of him to walk over to sit on the wooden bench.

Troy sat next to her. "What does it remind you of?"

"Home," she whispered, gazing at the small gazebo which stood above the wooden bench. "You know my palace is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. It's built in the centre of the capital and it's got gardens that stretch for what seems like forever. There are fountains and trees and flowers in colours that make up the rainbow. The skies are always the most gorgeous blue…like your eyes. There's never a cloud. It's just so beautiful."

"It sounds nice," he whispered.

She shrugged and turned to him. "It depends how you look at it, I guess."

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly, furrowing his brow.

She sighed. "You honestly think it's a fairytale? Yes, I'm a princess that goes to balls and dinners. I meet princes and dance with them and I get beautiful gowns designed especially for me. That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? Not forgetting that it never rains and Spain is just a ferry ride away."

Troy nodded. "It sounds awesome."

"When you were six years old, you'd come home from school and what would you do?" Gabriella asked softly.

Troy shrugged. "Play some hoops with my dad or play with Chad and Kels."

Gabriella turned her body to him. "Exactly. While you were playing with other kids, I was inside the palace, learning something. I had to learn all of the subjects you do, plus all of my languages, law, politics, etiquette and lots of dances. I never got to play with other children. When I started meeting other people my own age, it was to find me a husband." She looked down at her lap. "I'm getting married on my eighteenth birthday."

"You're getting married?" Troy exclaimed.

Gabriella nodded slowly. "To Count Carlos Gomez. Twenty two years old, incredibly rich and future king of Costa Delta."

"Why do I get the feeling you don't want to marry him?" Troy asked slowly.

Gabriella groaned. "I don't. I don't love him. I don't _know_ him. I want to be able to at least know by husband and loving him, in circumstances, would be a bonus. But, don't you see? When you said that I have the fairytale life, you're wrong. You have friends, you have a brother, you don't have to care about anyone else other than your friends and family. I have to look after an entire country, Troy," she cried as tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey," Troy whispered as he reached over to wipe her tears away. "Your life is really that bad?"

She shrugged. "I don't mind it," she admitted. "I guess I'd just like a little more freedom. Like I want to go to law school. But, I can't because I'll be queen by then and I have a duty to my country. So, that's all hypothetical. I'd like to marry who I like and I'd like to have friends other than my parents. To be honest, I'd like my first time making love to be with the right guy not Count Carlos."

"Can't you just tell him you don't want to?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. "Sure. But, if I don't produce an heir to the throne, Gerald's family will be heir to the throne and I can't let that happen."

"Gerald…he's the guy that's got your parents?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded again. "Yes. He's evil. He tried to get me to marry him so that he'd get the throne. But, I won't and my parents won't let me."

Troy nodded slowly. "So, will you accept my apology? I didn't know your life was like that."

"I didn't expect you to," she said honestly. "I know it all seems so glamorous and lovely and…like a fairytale. But, it's really not. Troy, listen, I just want to go home. But, as long as I'm here, I want things to be as simple as possible."

"I'm sorry about what I said," he whispered. "Will you be my friend? I'll give you ice cream? And strawberry sauce? And chocolate sauce? Sprinkles? I'll even feed you and treat you like a princess! Please?"

"Why do you want to be my friend so bad? If you mention Jack kicking your butt I'd much rather you just walk away from me," she exclaimed.

Troy sighed. "Okay, part of me being nice to you is because of my dad. I'll admit that much. But, I got to know you a little bit. I want to learn about Costa Delta. I want to know you. The real you. Not the girl we're telling everyone that I've been friends with since we were six." Troy saw her uncertain expression and sighed as he pulled the gold ring from the middle finger on his right hand. He held his free hand out to her. "Will you untie your locket?"

Gabriella gripped her locket. "Why?" she whispered.

"Please trust me," Troy said softly.

Gabriella reached behind her neck and under her hair to unclasp the chain. "Okay. It's unclasped. What are you doing?"

Troy took one end from her hand and slipped the ring onto the chain. He took the whole thing from her hands and clasped it back around her neck, his fingers brushing tenderly against her skin. "That's my championship ring," he murmured as his hands fell from around her neck. "It's got my number engraved on it. My parents got it for me when I was a sophomore and first got voted captain and led the Wildcats to victory in the championships. It hasn't left my hand all of that time but, now it's yours. If it means you'll be my friend, it's yours."

Gabriella shook her head. "But…I can't let you do that!" she cried.

"Sure you can." He shrugged. "I was planning on giving that to the girl I was planning to marry but…maybe I can make an exception."

Gabriella suddenly lunged at him, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. "I'll let you be my friend," she whispered into his ear. She pulled back and smiled slightly. "Even when I'm in Costa Delta. You'll be my first official friend that's close to my own age."

Troy chuckled. "Well, I'm honoured. I truly am sorry about what I said."

She nodded. "I know. Maybe you're right. I can be a normal teenager for a while. It's no use me stressing out about stuff that's out of my control for the time being."

Troy kissed her forehead. "I promise you everything will be fine."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I quite liked this chapters. I tried to keep it flowing but it might seem a little jumpy. I'm sorry if it seems that way but I'm just getting back into this story.**

**Don't own HSM x

* * *

**

"Princess," a dulcet voice sung low in Gabriella's ear.

Gabriella smiled sleepily at the voice. She knew it. She'd memorised that voice the moment she'd heard it, but she couldn't remember the owner. She wasn't complaining, though. That voice had her stomach churning, her palms sweating and her heart beating faster. She'd never felt such feelings simply because a voice murmured her title. Admittedly, the murmur had been rather sexy. She snuggled further into her pillows, willing the voice to speak again. She'd never felt so safe, protected, nervous, courageous…confused. Why was she feeling like that?

"Gabi," the voice murmured again and this time a hand shook her shoulder gently.

She furrowed her brow and swatted the hand away, pulling the covers further over her head. She wanted sleep. It was Saturday and she was still a 'regular teenager' which meant she didn't have to wake up at five AM. "Sleepy," she muttered incoherently.

"Gabi, come on," the voice urged, shaking her more violently.

"Urgh!" she exclaimed and sat up. She immediately regretted it when the bright light of the morning sun blinded her. She let out a cry of surprise and fell back down, pulling the covers back over her head.

The cover suddenly lifted up and a body climbed in beside her, an arm slipping easily around her shoulders. "Gabi," a voice whispered into her ear, warm breath tickling her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open and she twisted her head, a smile immediately pulling at her lips. "Troy? What are you doing in my bed? Why did you wake me up? I'm going back to sleep." She rolled over and closed her eyes, content to feel Troy's strong, warm body lying next to hers.

He rested his other hand on her waist and kissed her hair. "How come I'm awake before you?"

She frowned and snuggled back into his embrace. "You really want me to get up, huh?"

"Well, I thought that we could get some brunch, some ice cream, go to the park and feed some ducks, maybe, and then come back here and you can try to teach me math," he explained. "I thought we could, you know, hang out today. Just the two of us."

She rolled over to him. Even in the dim light that managed to filter through the covers, he looked so handsome. She had struggled to grasp the concept that he was human and not an angel. "Wow. East High's basketball boy really wants to spend an entire Saturday with a princess?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess he does."

She pushed the covers off of her and Troy and sat up, stretching gracefully. She pushed her fingers through her hair and turned to him. She grabbed her pillow and hit him in the face with it. "I hate you," she grumbled. "I was sleeping."

"I know," he murmured.

She sighed. "I was enjoying it, too. It's not very often I get to sleep in."

Troy glanced at the clock on her bedside table. He turned back to her. "It's only nine O'clock. It's hardly sleeping in." He nodded slowly at her raised eyebrows. "Oh. Sorry."

She smiled slightly and kissed his cheek. "Well, at least I woke up to you." She climbed over him and wandered over to her closet in her tank top and shorts. "You said we're going for brunch first?" She turned to him. "What kind of brunch?"

"Zeke's family owns a small restaurant down the street that serves the best waffles. We'll go there," he replied.

Her eyes suddenly widened and she turned back to her closet. "Oh my gosh," she muttered. "Okay," she answered Troy. It was Troy. The voice that had her insides churning with an alien feeling had been _Troy_. Although she'd acknowledged her want and need for him, this was different. This feeling was so…confusing. She was feeling something…something strong. The feeling was like a magnet, drawing her back to her bed where Troy was still lying.

Since Troy had given Gabriella his ring, they were practically inseparable. They sat next to each other in class now, they ate lunch together, some days with Troy's friends and some on the rooftop garden, and they always spent time together outside of school. When they were alone, Gabriella found herself telling him everything about her life and Costa Delta. The rest of the week had gained no information from Ania which had upset Gabriella a little.

But, the bottom line was that she'd survived her first week in Albuquerque. Well, to some extent. She'd been regarded as a normal teenager. Now, after Troy's kicks to her shin, she was making fewer mistakes and almost seemed like a complete, regular teenage girl. She knew that it was down to Troy and knew she'd never be able to thank him enough.

Troy still hadn't sung for her but had played her a composition on his guitar. She'd realised that he wasn't just talented on the basketball court. He was a remarkable musician and she was still convinced he was a talented singer, too. But, she wasn't pressuring him. The last thing she needed was for him to be pushed away. Although, she had taken him to the music room one free period and played him a Spanish song on the piano. He had admitted that he hadn't been able to translate the entire song but that it didn't matter; her voice was incredibly beautiful.

All in all, the rest of the week had gone smoothly with the only glitch being Regina. She hadn't made it a secret that she hated Gabriella simply because she was a new student and so close to Troy Bolton. No matter how many times they told her the story about being friends since they were six, she stuck by her ranking, saying that new students were still way below Troy Bolton's posse. However, Troy had warned her off, saying that he'd rather be below vermin with Gabriella than have to be away from her.

Gabriella reached for a strapless pink summer dress and pulled it out of the closet. She held it away from her, pondering whether she should wear it or not. It had a white ribbon tied just below the breasts and then it flared out to just above her knees. It had little white flowers embroidered on it, too. She held it against her body and turned to Troy. "What do you think?"

He smiled across from her. "Finally came back down to Earth. You were really out of it just then."

She blushed prettily and looked down at her feet. "What do you think?" she whispered.

Troy's eyes trailed appraisingly over her body and he nodded slowly. "I like it."

"Really?" she asked innocently.

He nodded and folded his arms behind his head. "Hey, you could walk out of that door in your sweats and still be beautiful." He noticed her blush deepen in colour and sat up. "Anyway, I'll stop embarrassing you and let you get dressed. I'll be outside on the court, okay? Have you decided about the scholastic decathlon and teen court yet?"

She took the dress off the hanger and stored the hanger back in the closet. "I don't know, Troy. I honestly don't."

He nodded and stepped forward to kiss her forehead. "It's okay. Tay won't be mad."

She nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll see you downstairs."

Troy smiled. "Cool." He left her bedroom, leaving her alone.

* * *

As soon as Gabriella was changed, she wandered downstairs and out into the back yard. She watched with a gentle smile pulling at her lips as Troy played basketball with Jack and Connor. It was obvious that it was Troy versus Jack and Connor. Despite Troy's winning streak for the Wildcats, he was visibly losing on purpose. She glanced down at herself and smoothed the skirt of the dress over, suddenly self-conscious. She'd picked out a pair of white flats and had arranged her hair in delicate curls, pinned away from the left side of her face with a pink flower hair clip.

She looked back up and swallowed nervously. Her nerves and confusion had calmed down once Troy had left the room. However, now she could see him, it was all coming back at full force. It scared her. Not just because she didn't know what it was but because it had come on so quickly. It felt weird and unnerving but pleasant and wonderful at the same time. She knew she didn't want the feeling to stop any time soon.

Troy looked over and grinned as he saw the young girl. He waved at her and she smiled shyly and waved back. Troy intercepted Connor's pass to Jack and began dribbling down the court. He shot a basket, let out a yell of victory before jogging over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up, spinning her around. "Here's my girl," he mumbled into her shoulder. He set her on the ground and smiled down at her. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Of course I am."

He blinked at her. "You seem unfocused, like something's on your mind."

"Oh, I was just, you know, _thinking_," she whispered. She shrugged. "But, I'm fine."

Troy frowned, clearly unconvinced. "Okay. You ready to go?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Troy drove them to the restaurant and had introduced Gabriella to the wonderful, sticky, delicious world of waffles and syrup. Gabriella had loved it and when they'd finished, Gabriella had a dollop of syrup on her nose and Troy had leaned over to kiss it away, smiling in amusement as a blush rose up her neck and into her cheeks. After they left, they quickly dropped into the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread and then they headed towards the park. They stopped by the edge of the large pond and Troy tore open the packaging of the bread. He took a slice out and handed it to Gabriella. "There you go." He took a slice out for himself and held the rest of the loaf to his side using his arm.

"What do I do with it?" she asked in confusion.

Troy chuckled. "You tear a piece off like this and then throw it into the water." He threw a piece of bread into the pond and watched as ducks swarmed towards the bread. "See?"

Gabriella copied and giggled as a duck ate it up. "This is really nice," she said softly.

Troy looked down at her and smiled gently. "Yeah it is."

Once they'd fed the entire loaf to the ducks, Troy and Gabriella found themselves lying down on the grass, trying to spot shapes in the clouds. "You know, I've never done this before," she admitted in embarrassment.

Troy smiled and discreetly slipped his hand into hers, gently caressing the skin of the back of his hand with his thumb. "I used to do this all the time with my mom and dad. Before Connor was born," he clarified. "Then, they were so busy with Connor things were never really the same." He paused. "I mean, I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't be without Connor if the world was ending and the only way to stop it was to give him away. But, it was when things weren't so rushed and hurried all of the time that I miss."

She twisted her head to face him. "You miss times when you thought you and your parents had all of the time in the world, right?"

Troy nodded nostalgically. "Yeah. I love Connor to bits and I'd do anything for him but, there are times when I miss being the centre of their world."

She sighed and turned back to the sky. "Being the centre of someone's world isn't always that great."

Troy suddenly realised why she said that and grimaced. "I'm sorry, Gabi. I forget sometimes."

She turned to him and looked him in the eyes. "You mean I'm such a good actress?" she teased.

"No," he said thoughtfully. "I like you. A lot. So much that I forget who you and I concentrate on who you are when you're with me."

She smiled up at him. "Going back to what you were saying," she started quietly, "you are the centre of their world. You just share it with Connor."

"You're just saying that," he muttered.

She leaned up on her elbow to look down on him. "Why would I lie to you? Troy, when Jack brought me here, he never stopped talking about you. And Lucille…On mornings when we're waiting for the Bolton men to wake, she talks to me. About how she and Jack met and fell in love, about Connor…about you. She's so proud of you and wished that the school didn't act like they did so that you'd be happier. And Connor…Connor completely adores you. If you weren't my best friend, it would be kind of annoying."

"You're serious?" Troy asked quietly.

She nodded. "Troy, you're surrounded by people that worship you and you don't even notice."

Troy reached up to trace her cheek with his fingers. "Do you?"

"What?" she squeaked, jerking away from him.

He sat up and faced her. "Do you worship me? Simple question, I want a simple answer: yes or no. I don't mean like the cheerleaders. I mean like my parents and Connor. Do you worship me?"

She looked up the sky and smiled faintly, pointing at cloud that was floating towards the horizon. "It looks like a bunny."

"Gabi," he murmured.

She took a deep breath. "It's strange. I've lived my whole life with an entire country, no matter how small, worshipping me. I never thought or wondered how it felt." She suddenly turned to him. "Yes," she whispered. "It's terrifying. Truly. I mean, I've known you a week. But, I don't care. I still worship you and want you in my life."

Troy kissed her cheek before wrapping his arms around her. "Good. Because guess what?"

Her arms snaked around his torso, feeling his muscular six pack push up against her body. "What?" she murmured into his shoulder.

"I worship you," he whispered into her ear.

She knew, somehow, that he worshipped her as a person, not a princess. That meant more to her than he would ever know. A boy, she mentally corrected herself, man, that she barely knew was affecting her life to an extent she never dreamt was possible. He was treating her so wonderfully that she wondered if he thought she was treating him the way he deserved to be treated. She ran her hands over his back, feeling his muscles ripple under her touch. She'd never been treated like a lady, only ever a princess. With Troy, she felt she wasn't royalty, just a normal young woman with the dream of finding that perfect man.

He pulled back and smiled at her. "I mean it. I swear."

She returned the smile and nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

* * *

"Troy?" Gabriella asked as she turned away from her window.

He looked up from the math book that was balanced in his lap and smiled. "What?"

Gabriella crawled over to him and took the pencil from his hand and quickly circled a few minor errors but she concluded that those minor errors could cost the marks to change a D to a C. They'd returned home a couple of hours after their conversation about worship and had had dinner with Jack, Lucille and Connor then immediately pulled out their math textbooks for Gabriella to tutor Troy. He had been sitting on her bed, his back against her headboard and Gabriella had been curled up on the window ledge, looking at the sky and thinking quietly as Troy worked through some algebraic problems.

She smiled to herself as Troy's face lit up. He had improved immensely since she first started tutoring him the day after he'd given her his ring. "Well done," she whispered.

Troy suddenly frowned and pointed at one of his mistakes. "What did I do wrong here?"

Gabriella explained it again in a series of simple steps until he was nodding with understanding. She closed the textbooks and set them on the window ledge. She giggled at his confused expression. "We'll study in a minute, I promise. I'm just curious. What's the case with Regina?"

Troy sighed and nodded. "It's a valid question. She's so annoying. She's been after me for the majority of my high school career."

"Does she not cope well with rejection?" she asked innocently.

Troy smiled to himself. "It's not just that. She's determined. Remarkably so." He thought briefly to himself before turning to her. "You told me about the snotty people that only wanted money or jewels or whatever. She's a snotty cheerleader. She only wants to be able to say she's slept with me."

"Why? Why you?" she asked. "No offence," she added hurriedly.

He chuckled. "None taken. She wants to sleep with me because she's convinced that I'm some sex god or something. She's been with Drake more times than I can count. But, she keeps begging for me."

"So, you're not into her?" she asked.

Troy shook his head. "No. I'd never go for that. I like girls that look for more than experience in bed. Girls that are down to Earth."

She turned away.

"Why do you do that?" Troy demanded.

She jumped and turned back to him. "What?"

"You always turn away from me. Why?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just…" She sighed and closed her eyes and opened them a moment later. "I sometimes get embarrassed by stuff you say. Sometimes, I need to figure something out in my head. Sometimes, you do something that reminds me of my parents. It's just something I do."

He wrapped an arm around her waist. "You never have to turn away from me. You don't have to walk away from me. Okay? You can talk to me about anything you want. I promise."

She smiled weakly. "No one's ever said that to me before. No one's ever taken the time to get to know me and tell me that I have a friend. A true friend. No one's ever managed to convince me that I don't have to live my life feeling alone."

He stroked her cheek, smoothing his thumb over the skin beneath her eye. "You don't. No one's managed to convince me that this life is a fairytale."

She smiled slightly. "Yeah…" She felt her stomach lurch as she said, "You'll find a great girl to spend your life with."

He nodded. "I think I've found her. You know this marriage next year to Count Carter?"

"It's Carlos," she whispered.

"Carter, Carlos, does it matter? Would you be able to marry a commoner?" Troy asked quietly, avoiding her eyes.

She nodded. "Yes. Of course. I mean, my mother was a peasant, like I said. But, it's not as easy as it would be for you to ask a girl from East High to marry you. The guy would have to convince Costa Delta that he'd be a good king."

He shrugged. "How hard can that be?"

Gabriella smiled softly. "Think about how much charity work I've told you I've done. The guy would have to do all of that, a little bit more, dinners with lords and ladies…Being royal isn't like being famous or being rich. You've got to be a role model. You've got to help people. So, the guy would have to prove that he could do that." She shrugged. "But, it's hypothetical. It doesn't matter."

"Gabi, have you even kissed a guy?" Troy asked.

She lifted her head. "What? Well, no, not exactly. I mean, no. I'm so busy I don't have time for boys and all of the men I meet are much older than me. Like Count Carlos."

He nodded slowly. "Right. Well, I'm going to get ready for bed. I'll come back up and we can watch a movie or something."

"Wait, Troy, um, the homecoming dance…" she started.

He shrugged. "What about it?"

"Is it a big deal? Sharpay was telling me about how we vote for royalty. They're voted for here?"

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of stupid. The girls get so worked up over a plastic tiara. But, it'll be cool when I'm voted homecoming king."

"If everyone has to vote, how do you know you'll win?" Gabriella asked.

"Some girls set up a website called and it had thirty two thousand hits. The message board also said that I've already hooked in two hundred votes. The dance isn't for three weeks. Voting is in two," he explained. "People will nominate on Monday."

"Will I get nominate?" she asked naively.

He shrugged. "Would you like me to nominate you?"

"Will you be nominated?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It's a given."

"Then, yeah. I'd like that," she whispered softly.

"Regina won't like that but, I'd much rather have you as my queen than her," he mumbled.

Gabriella blushed prettily. "Well, thank you."

"Gabi," he murmured. He waited until she was looking at him and then reached over to rest a hand on her neck. "I mean it," he whispered before he leaned over and pressed his lips gently to hers. He pulled back and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

"I liked it," she admitted and grabbed Troy's shirt to pull him into another kiss. She pulled back and blushed. "I'm glad you were my first kiss."

"Me too," he whispered. He disentangled himself from her arms and smiled charmingly at her before disappearing down the stairs towards his bedroom.

Gabriella lifted a hand to her chest and fidgeted in her suddenly uncomfortable clothes. Her room was tight and stuffy and she hurried to pull her dress from her body. She threw it into her hamper and rushed over to her vanity to spray herself with deodorant and perfume. She walked back over to her bed and pulled on her tank top and shorts pyjamas. She fell onto the bed and breathed deeply.

He'd kissed her. She'd kissed him. They'd kissed each other. Gabriella wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to feel those gentle but talented lips caress her own. She wanted to feel Troy's hands caress her waist. She wondered if he wanted that. She wondered if he felt the same.

He couldn't…could he? No. Why would a small town jock fall for a princess?

* * *

**A/N: I'm thinking of changing the title to 'The Jock and The Princess' do you think I should or are you happy with 'Royalty Meets Reality'?**


End file.
